1. [Popsicle mold] (http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-423-Ice-Pop-Maker/dp/B0002IBJOG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1I2K5R72JAJH4&coliid=I20FE2039OP3J5)+[Rice cooker](http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-ARC-914SBD-Uncooked-Digital-Steamer/dp/B007WQ9YNO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1RVSLW24JRHP3&coliid=I2ODNPW2IQ935B)+[Movie](http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Me-You-Piper-Perabo/dp/B000F7CEBG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=A4GUQA2KYJP0&coliid=I2CMOKDLTQ0DB8)+[CD case](http://www.amazon.com/TekNmotion-Capacity-Wallet-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B001807P4A/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=A4GUQA2KYJP0&coliid=IR4RMW9MOFOUS)+[Skyrim](http://www.amazon.com/Elder-Scrolls-V-Skyrim-Playstation-3/dp/B004HYK8Y8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2RJXE4EY7BMNV&coliid=I9HT5TIWKS2KP)=92.31
   
   
2. Using a pseudonym for her privacy. Farrah Higgins.
   Background: Farrah is one of the closest, if not the closest, friends I’ve ever had. She was my choir teacher in high school and much older than I am. I’ve always been rather mature for my age, so I get along better with older people. Well, we clicked and after I graduated we became super close. As you’ll soon figure out, I loved her in more ways than one.
   
   
   Reason: I don’t even think I have the words to properly describe how grateful I am that she is my friend, how much love I have for her, or just how much I admire her. I think she is absolutely amazing. I could gush on for hours about how amazing I think she is. She is incredibly friendly and loving. It is a blessing to know that God saw fit to create people like her and allow me to be blessed by her presence and faith. I think she is completely insane, well, maybe not completely (that’s reserved for me) but she’s up there.
   
   
   She was there for me, although not in the flesh, my first semester as a freshman in college. I had no friends and was incredibly lonely. We texted, talked, and/or messaged daily. Looking forward to talking with her is what got me through the day. She gave me new eyes to look through and a different perspective. I believe she helped me grow a lot as a person, challenging me to better myself and ask questions. She understands me better than anyone I’ve ever met. I could look at her and not say a word and she’d know what I was feeling and, if necessary, how to comfort me.
   
   
   I think she’s beautiful, externally and internally beautiful. External: I love her eyes. (Then again, that is probably because I have always been an eye person.) They are so expressive and so full of love. I love the way her lips pucker when she says and describes something she thinks is ‘beautiful’. I find it adorable. I love her smile. When she smiles, it seems as if all is right with the world. I love her passion for life and her passion for living it. I love her passion for God; it is inspiring and gives me faith. I love her passion for passion; it frightens and excites me. I love how humble she is. As often as people (and I) tell her that she is amazing, she never lets it go to her head. I love her sense of humor. I love how she’s not afraid to make a joke that is ‘wrong’ by every standard. I love how she is so unafraid to speak her mind. It’s so refreshing.
   
   
   Now to clear up any… issues. I was over 18 when I met her, so don’t fear of some illegal activity or whatever it is people jump to conclusions about. Secondly, although the love is shared, the romantic love is not and mine goes unrequited. We are still friends to this day although from a greater distance due to life taking us in different directions.
   
   
   
3. [Drawing] (http://imgur.com/a/nyISh) I'm pretty proud of those, I wouldn't call myself an artist, but I youtube-d some how to's so I could make it look better. The first one is without color, the second one is colored but it is hardly noticeable.
   
   
4. 7, of course.
   
   
5. Oh, why thank you. I hope yours is filled with wonder and joy as well.
   
   I'm really sorry about the length. If it's too long I can modify it.
   
   EDIT: Add drawing and items

Sorry, generic tea copypasta coming though here.

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.

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New to Tea? New to loose leaf? Let me help.

Hello, new friend. So you've stumbled your way into /r/tea, you probably though this was a subreddit for the Mr. T, but no worries you're here and you're in good hands. We're all tea fiends and we're all eager to share our fifteen minutes of meditation, our hobby and our little slice of heaven. So why should you consider switching from Lipton to something crazy like leaves some Chinese person picked off a tea bush?

• Loose Leaf tea is often higher quality than your traditional tea bags.
  
  
• Less preservatives or additives.
  
  
• A greater variety of teas that are too delicate for tea bags or can't be effectively brewed that way.
  
  
• Greater access to fine teas, you can't find good premium teas in tea bags.
  
  
• It's more cost effective. You can pick up Twinning's Irish Breakfast tea (20 tea bags) for $2.99 at your local supermarket and that'll make you 20 cups of tea. With loose leaf tea you can buy 125 grams of Irish Breakfast from Upton Tea for $5.60, which will make you 100-150 cups of tea. You can re-brew the same tea leaves two or three times when it comes to loose leaf, but with a tea bag all the water penetrates the "tea dust" the first go.
  
  
• It tastes better. That's 100-150 cups of far better tea than Twinnings. Not to say you can't get good tea out of a tea bag, but you'll get better tea with more control/flexibility when it come to loose leaf.
  
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  So, Where To Start??
  
  ^^buy ^^theses ^^teas ^^first!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  Where | Why?
  ---|---
  GoodLife Tea's $7 for 7 Sampler | Free Shipping! Robb has a fantastic variety of tasty high quality tea important for building up your tea pallet.
  Verdant's Five Teas for $5 | Free Shipping! Again, Verdant sells some premium quality tea. Think of their sampler as a crash course into the rich people's side of tea. But the catch with tea is that it's a lot more affordable than wine could ever hope to be. The sampler is great for building up your tea preferences and giving you a kickstart in the right direction.
  Upton Tea | My personal favorite store, they send a nice little paperback catalog every quater. They sell a huge variety of teas, from traditional English Breakfast to Tie-Guan-Yin. Not only that but they sell their teas in different grades meaning you can dabble in what is traditionally an expensive tea by trying a lower quality (but still delicious and tasty) grade of tea. You can find the grade and variety of tea that matches your wallet and taste. They also sell cheap samplers, if you wish you can take $20 and order around 15 samples and see where your cuppa takes you.
  Adagio | A personal favorite of /r/tea if you can find a store nearby! But don't fret, most of us buy our tea online so no worries if you're in Kodiak, Alaska and can't get down to an Adagio. They sell nice quality tea, their stores people are incredibly informed and helpful (unlike a certain Starbucks owned tea store). They also have Adagio XL which sells tea in bulk.
  Harney & Sons | Amazon Prime Shipping. I love my Amazon account, that's usually by go to place online shopping and being able to two-day ship a simple tin of Harney & Sons tea without the shipping cost is fantastic. They sell lots of teas and they're all very good. Maybe not the premium tea you'll see Chinese diplomats drinking but they in my opinion sell tea that all tastes great.
  Coffee Bean Direct | Who knew a place called Coffee Bean Direct* sold tea too? Again, with Amazon Prime Shipping this seems to be the place to buy tea in bulk. They're well reviewed and their tea seems to be good. If you're like me and cold brew ice tea frequently then this might be the best place to pick up some bulkier tea to last you the season.
  Crimson Lotus | Owned by a frequenter of /r/tea, Puerh_Lover stocks a great store with lots of neat little stuff. Be warned, he caters to pu'er which is a type of fermented tea pressed into bricks or pellets. In other words this is a special variety of tea that needs special equipment and special knowledge to brew. Don't fret if you're not walking out of /r/tea after a day brewing in a gaiwan.
  White2Tea | More lovely pu'er.
  Yunnan Sourcing | Again, more pu'er, but also lots of green and white teas too. They sell teaware for good prices too so if you're looking to pick up a traditional china teacup or gaiwan this is a good place to get that.
  What-Cha | Another beloved store on /r/tea, but they're pretty pricey at times. But you can always expect good quality tea and a looser wallet from here.
  
  ----
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  Just How Do You Make Tea?
  
  Traditional Western | Gongfu | Cold Brew
  ---|---|----
  The way you're probably familiar with when it comes to brewing tea, all it requires is a teapot like this one (I highly recommend this teapot). Western or Traditional works well with every kind of tea. It's the universal method of making tea and the best place to start. | This kind of brewing is very specific as it only works with Chinese type teas like pu'er. This method of making tea is hands down the best way to make a Chinese styled tea and does wonders to enhance and bring out the best in the leaves. But this method wont work for a cuppa English Breakfast or Japanese Sencha. To brew Gongfu style you use a gaiwan which is fancy talk for a tiny cup with a lid. The idea behind Gongfu is more leaves, less water and time. You use micro-infusions instead of waiting minutes like Western or hours like Cold Brewing. | Cold Brewing is for those of us who just love iced tea. It's simple to cold brew, a vessel like this will brew a mean pitcher of ice tea. All you have to do is leave the leaves in the filter and wait 5-12 hours for the tea to brew, perfect for leaving overnight. Fair Warning: tea can go bad, the kind of stuff you'd buy at the store has a massive amount of preservatives in it. Keep your cold brewing tea out of the sunlight and don't let it sit for more than 48 hours.
  
  ---
  ---
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  On Kettles
  
  So you're going to need a way to keep your water hot. A stovetop kettle is probably the most accessible and the biggest no brainer out of everything here. A microwave heats water inconsistently, can leave an odd taste if your microwave isn't properly clean, and you really don't have a good way of knowing how hot the water is. Temperature is important. Brewing a cuppa green tea in boiling water will result in a pretty shitty cup of tea, and brewing some black tea in the water appropriate for green tea will result in a disappointing cuppa.
  
  You also have electric kettles like the Cuisinart CPK-17 which is going to cost as much as a decent coffee machine but if tea is your caffeine fix then it might be worth it. The Cuisinart is a variable temperature kettle meaning you just have to press a button and it makes the water the appropriate temperature for whatever kind of tea you're drinking.
  
  
  Tea | Temperature
  ---|---
  Black | 212
  Green | 175
  White | 190
  Oolong | 185
  Pu'er | 212
  Herbal | 212
  
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  ---
  
  Where To Buy Tea Equipment? What Equipment Might You Want To Buy?
  
  Umi Tea Sets sells lots of cute tea sets. They also sell pretty much any kind of vessel you can brew tea in, from Yixing to Japanese tea sets.
  
  Mr. Coffee Tea Kettle A simple, $10 stovetop kettle to boil some water. It seems to have a little hole in it for a thermometer to go in if you need to measure your water temperature.
  
  Glass Whistling Kettle I have one of these, you can tell water temperature from the bubbles if you learn to read them well. It’s pretty handy but if I could I would exchange it for the Mr. Coffee.
  
  CPK-17 Electronic Kettle probably the device that makes most of /r/tea’s mouths water (that might just be the tea). This is pretty much the best electronic kettle you can buy, cheaper than a K-Cup Coffee machine. It has temperatures for making all kinds of tea labeled nicely. I have one and I love it.
  
  OTHER
  
  Want to find the right kind of tea for you? Here’s a tea discovery wheel! Try it out here.

Hey there, welcome!

One thing I have to say is that since it sounds like you've ordered online, you're going to have to be patient. Really patient.

First of all, you need to season your humidor. This is because the wood is bone-dry and if you put your cigars in there, the wood will actually soak up the moisture from your cigars! So, the wood needs to be humidified to not do that. Most people here like the easy Boveda method. Drop a Boveda 84% pack in the humidor and leave it for two weeks. Ouch. Yeah, it does suck but the alternative is sponging it down with distilled water. Emphasis on distilled because tap water, mineral water, filtered water, etc has impurities that can taint your cigars. This can be faster but the sudden shock of water to a dry piece of wood can warp the wood slightly and hurt the seal. Since I assume you got the cheapest humidor you could find,(I don't blame you, I have two really cheap humidors I picked up when I started) it's likely going to lose its seasoning in a few months and/or not have a completely perfect seal. This is fine for a few months till you decide to upgrade as a start.

Most of reddit highly recommends the tupperdor approach with your cigars. This is the one most people use (largest size). Combine that with the cedar tray (optional because it has to be seasoned) + hygrometer and you'll be rolling. No seasoning required, which is nice. Obviously it's not as nice looking as a real humidor, but it's cheap and super functional. Your goal is to seal the humidity in, and tupperware does that very well.

Okay, now that storage is out of the way, your cigars. They're not going to be in great condition when you get them. They need minimum 2 weeks rest in a seasoned humidor (or tupperdor, no need to season this because plastic won't wick away the cigar's moisture) with humidification. Most online cigar shops just have their cigars in a giant warehouse and they will be dry. Plus shipping swings in temperature, you have got to let them acclimate.

So yeah, that's a lot of waiting and really hard to sit on cigars and not smoke them. It gets a lot easier when you've got a collection and you've got two weeks of smokes. But starting out, it sucks. So what can you do? The best thing to do is check out your B&M (brick and mortar) if you have one close to you. They'll have cigars already ready to smoke as soon as you buy them. It will not be nearly as cheap as online (taxes plus upkeep of a physical store are much more expensive), but you will have a tobacconist right there who can recommend you things to try based on your tastes. Plus most B&Ms will let you smoke your new acquisition right there in a relaxing environment with some cool people to talk to. That's worth the premium to me alone. If you do buy from a B&M, only take one or two with you (only what you will absolutely smoke in the next few days). They'll generally seal it in a bag for you and that will keep the cigar fresh for a couple days. Since you don't have storage (yet), it's best to come back again later and get a fresh one from their humidor until you have storage.

Keeping cigars is pretty simple once you have the storage. Best way is to honestly get the Boveda packs of your choice (65% or 69% are the most common choices) and toss them in your storage container. They pretty much do all the work of adding humidity or removing humidity. Just toss it in and keep a hygrometer to monitor the RH and make sure nothing is going crazy in there, but they take pretty much all the thought out of the equation.

When? Whenever you want to. Where? Wherever smoking is okay. (though I do recommend cigar bars or stores, always a great environment to kick back and relax in) How? As long as you enjoy it. There's a bunch of "rules" but if you like smoking with a bic lighter and dipping your cigar in brandy, then do whatever you like. You paid for the cigar, so do what you want. Maybe if a friend gave you a nice cigar you might want to be a little respectful to it for your friend's sake, but you get the idea. I guess the only thing I could say as a hard rule is don't cut the cigar too low, else the wrapper will start to unravel.

>and have that time to think of what to say to my family, something along the line of, "It's something I've wanted to try," and indeed it is.

You're an adult spending your own money.

Okay, okay, I get it. I probably wouldn't tell my mother how much I smoke cigars either even though I've long moved out.

Eh, if you've got anyone open in your family to smoking a cigar with you, I'd get one to smoke with them. Sit back, relax, and maybe they'll understand it a bit more.

1. A good, sharp chef's knife. Nothing fancy, I use a Dexter that I got for like $20 and have it resharpened. You can get a lot nicer, but you don't have to. The first kitchen I ever worked at (20 years ago) used knives almost exactly like this.
   
   
2. A good meat thermometer. I use this one which works similarly to a ThermaPen but without the ridiculous ~$90 cost.
   
   
3. A good cast iron skillet can be pretty versatile. Cast iron holds heat very well, which means that it's great for stuff like searing steaks.
   
   
4. Some cheap, non-stick frying pans. I recommend getting cheap ones because once the coating starts coming off (and it always does at some point, it seems) you're going to throw them away and get new ones. You can spend $300+ like I did once and get high-end stuff like All-Clad or whatever, but even if you're super careful and use only wood and silicone utensils to cook on it, it'll still start peeling its coating, and then All-Clad will say you used metal silverware on it and your warranty is invalid, blah blah blah, and that's more hassle than you need. Just get cheap ones.
   
   
5. Now THIS is where you can spend some legit money. A tri-ply, high quality frying pan without a non-stick coating. These are great for making pan sauces while you cook, etc. I made a chicken, garlic, and olive oil with a red wine vinegar based pan sauce with this pan (well, and some baking dishes) that was incredible. All-Clad is the industry standard but the Tramontina stuff is 1/2 the price or less and built to near the same level of quality.
   
   
6. A nice, enameled Dutch Oven, whether it be from Le Creuset or Tramontina, these are the best for stews, soups, chili...etc. Hold heat forever, well built, and easy to clean.
   
   
7. A good fish spatula, which I almost never use to cook fish. It's actually just the best shape for omelets, eggs, whatever. Flipping anything in a pan with a utensil like this is awesome.
   
   
8. A thick ceramic baking dish for making things like lasagna or casseroles or even just roasting meats/veggies.
   
   
9. Believe it or not, cookie sheets covered with heavy duty aluminum foil are how I do a lot of my oven roasting of small things, like diced veggies or potatoes. They work perfectly and being so large they're able to be spread out so they get roasted on all edges for a little extra flavor. Brussel sprouts & diced bacon in a cast iron skillet to start and then dump them onto this and blast them in the oven at 425 for 15-20 minutes and you'll have a great side dish.
   
   
10. No matter how careful you are, you're going to get something caked on or get a dish so dirty you think it's uncleanable. For that, I recommend Barkeeper's Friend which is an awesome powdered cleaner. Add a little water, use a paper towel and this stuff to make a paste, leave it in the pan for a few minutes, then rinse. I have yet to see this fail. Awesome stuff. Saved some pans.
    
    
    There are lots of other things I use daily:
    
    

• Good kitchen towels
  
• Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
  
• A good dish scrubber for cleanup
  
  etc.
  
  But the point I guess I'm making is that you can get lots of good, cheap stuff to start with.
  

No worries at all, I'm more than happy to help as much as I can. I'm super passionate about tea and love seeing new people want to try it out, especially gongfu!

Because you've expressed interest in having a full gongfu set up, below I'm going to give you a couple examples of starter-packs consisting of a tea table, gaiwan, pitcher, strainer, and tea cups (and a tea pet if you're really feeling like going all out).

Nearly everything I'm going to list below is from Yunnan Sourcing's US-based website, because that way you won't have to wait for China shipping. Although, don't get used to US shipping. The deeper you get into this hobby, the more you're going to be ordering from vendors who ship directly from China, which generally takes anywhere from 10-15 business days. It's best to accept that fact up front and just get used to it--honestly, now I don't even notice. It shows up when it shows up.

Okay, without further ado, here's the full gongfu package that I'd recommend for one person just getting into gongfu.

Tea Table: ~$45.00USD (US Shipping)
https://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Bamboo-Gongfu-Table-Serving/dp/B00M3Y8LNY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503637708&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=gongfu+tea+tray&psc=1

Gaiwan + Teacup: $10.00USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=1074&controller=product

Cha Hai (Glass Pitcher): $6.50USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=86&controller=product

Strainer: $3.20USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=89&controller=product

^That will have all the brewing utensils that you'd need to get started with gongfu (though some would argue you don't need the tea table, just use a cloth or a dish or something, but since you seem interested in the full package, that's what I'd go with...that's actually the table I use now!)

Now...when it comes to tea...

I'd first highly recommend picking up a scale (this one from Amazon is only $9.00USD and works really well: https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-AWS-600-BLK-Nutrition/dp/B000O37TDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503639369&sr=8-1&keywords=American+weigh+scale

As for strong sweet flavor that doesn't need sugar, I'd recommend starting with oolongs, which are typically very smooth, sweet, floral, and somewhat creamy.

Here are a couple of my personal favorites that are extremely budget-friendly, ship super fast, and are all from Eco-Cha.

Four Seasons Spring Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/four-seasons-spring-oolong-tea-1

Dong Ding Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/dong-ding-oolong-tea

Alishan High Mountain Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/alishan-high-mountain-oolong-tea

If you're feeling adventurous, then I'd definitely pick up some puerh as well. The Basics Puer Tea Sample Set from White2Tea is
one of the best introductions you can ask for. It's $39.99USD for 400g of solid tea (4x100g cakes of Spring, Autumn, Huangpian [large leaf], and 10-year-old tea), and it always comes with a free puerh pick, and ships anywhere in the world for free, which is super nice.


If you purchase everything I listed, you'd spend ~$130.00USD, which would set you up with a tea-set you would grow into, and enough tea to last you roughly 2 months, and that's assuming you drink 10g of tea every day, which is highly unlikely.

If you're on a super tight budget, then I'd recommend ditching the tea table and just getting the gaiwan+teacup, the scale, and the teas. Everything else isn't nearly as important, though if you have the money, it's certainly nice to have the full setup.

• Ah this is actually a big topic.
  
• For a hone, you have three options. A basic grooved steel, a ceramic rod, or a diamond coated steel. The grooved (most common) and the diamond will hone your edge but will also sharpen for better and for worst your edge at the same time due to the courseness of the grooving / diamond coating. The ceramic will do the same, however because it's smooth, it's usually designed to give you a very fine grit at most in it's "sharpening" process ie removes as little metal as possible, maybe at most polish the edge a bit which favors most nicer knife owners. For a western style knife such as yours, and especially stamped blade with a low hardness, your edge usually will roll and fairly often and thus a hone is actually best for you to own and use on a somewhat daily basis. I recommend any non diamond, grooved steel although I find that diamond steels grind far too much metal at inaccurate angles (due to the very wild free hand motion of steeling) but does help give you a quick toothy edge. My personal one of use is ceramic.
  
• As for sharpening, while I don't like pull through or machine sharpeners at all and personally use stones, I don't exactly recommend them for you. The reason is I just don't see the time spend hand sharpening on stones worth the blade/blade material. That is, your knife isn't designed to hold an extremely keen edge, nor is it designed to hold an edge for an insane amount of time, thus for me, when I use a nox or a stamped blade a pull through or a machine sharpener is fine by me. As recommended the accusharp , or any of the decent chefchoice sharpeners will work very well for you. However if you want to progress and learn, then I recommend a low to medium grit combo stone. Say 600 and 1000/2000 so that if you feel like it, you can reset the bevel and then give your knife a decent working edge.
  
• Now say if you upgrade to nicer blades, then by all means stones is the way to go if not an Edge Pro system. Reason for it is that your paying for very nice metal on your blade and thus the very aggressive grinding actions of machine and pull thru sharpeners hurts your investment far more than helps it. Further more, you control the angle and the fineness of your blade. Have Super Blue core steel? Hap40? Bring that sucker down to 9-10 degrees a side with a 20k mirror polished edge. I like to see a machine do that. Plus, usually, with these 'nicer blades' your often running into Japanese knives. J knives are usually made with pretty hard metals, hrc 60+ which does not work with many steels on the market since J knives aren't designed for that to begin with. J knives are designed to have keen, hard , steep edges that are meant to be held for a long time and most likely to chip than roll so whenever it's time to touch up, it's by stones only.
  
• Anyways thats likely more than you ever wanted to know, so to answer your OP, for a steel I recommend the Tojiro Sharpening steel, if you prefer the ideal of a diamond steel giving you a toothy edge while your hone then a DMT fine will suit you. If you want your hone to just hone and not sharpen, then the Idahone fine is pretty much everyone's favorite.
  
• For sharpeners the AccuSharp is my favorite pull thru sharpener, the Spydero sharpmaker wasn't too bad and any of the common electric sharpeners will give you a working edge pesto pesto "pro" or get a basic combo stone

Entire article with spam/referrals removed

Please report this post and user u/mnluxury11
to the mods for breaking the rules for personal profit.

Mac MTH-80

The best chef’s knife for most people

>With its super-sharp edge, its sleek, tapered shape, and its comfortable handle, this knife will make your everyday dicing and slicing tasks smoother and quicker.

>Every kitchen should have a chef’s knife — it’s the most versatile piece in any cutlery set, and it will make food prep on Thanksgiving and every other day faster and easier. The Mac MTH-80 has been the top pick in our guide to chef’s knives since 2013, a choice backed by 120 hours of research, interviews with experts and chefs, and tests that involved chopping more than 70 pounds of produce. The Mac is universally comfortable, and it has proven that it can stay sharp through regular use, even in our busy test kitchen. Other knives to consider for preparing a Thanksgiving meal: a paring knife for delicate tasks, and a serrated knife for slicing bread, root vegetables, and even meat.

Price: $145 (17% OFF)


Proteak TeakHaus Rectangle Edge Grain Cutting Board with Hand Grip

The best wood cutting board

>This beautiful, eco-conscious teak board requires more careful cleaning than a plastic board, but it felt better under a knife and was easier to maintain than the other wood boards we tested.

>If you want a hefty wood cutting board (which looks better and is easier on your knives), we recommend the Proteak TeakHaus Rectangle Edge Grain Cutting Board with Hand Grip. It’s thick enough to stay in place and resist warping, but it isn’t so heavy that you can’t easily move it around. It can also double as a serving board for a cheese spread before dinner. For carving the Thanksgiving turkey, check out the Proteak Teakhaus 24-by-18-inch board, a larger version of our pick that has a juice groove.

Price: $85 (12% OFF)



Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor

The best food processor

>With just pulse and on buttons plus a single bowl, this is one of Cuisinart’s most basic models, but it consistently chops, slices, and kneads better than any other food processor we’ve found for under $250.

>A food processor is the best tool for quickly performing a variety of chopping, slicing, and shredding tasks, something you’ll be doing a lot of when prepping for Thanksgiving.

Price: $156


Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Dutch Oven

Best Dutch oven

>With big handles and durable design, this Dutch oven aced every test, rivaling models four times the price. A nice Dutch oven is indispensable for preparing all kinds of hearty Thanksgiving sides, and it looks nice enough to double as a serving dish.

Price: $59



All-Clad Stainless 12″ Covered Fry Pan

The best skillet

>With its superior heat conduction, durable construction, and comfortable handle, the All-Clad 12-inch skillet is a workhorse that will last beyond a lifetime.

>A 12-inch skillet is an essential kitchen tool: It’s perfect for stir-frying, pan-frying, making one-pan meals, and searing steaks and other hunks of meat. At Thanksgiving, you can use it for everything from toasting nuts to creaming spinach.

Price: $99 (50% OFF)


Bayou Classic Aluminum Turkey Fryer Stockpot

The best turkey fryer pot

>Part one of our suggested turkey-frying kit is a 30-quart aluminum stockpot that heated up quickly and stayed warm in our tests.

>Our pick for the best turkey fryer is the 30-quart Bayou Classic Aluminum Turkey Fryer Stockpot along with the Bayou Classic Single Burner Patio Stove. The affordable, quick-heating stockpot kit has everything you need to get the job done except the oil, the turkey, and a heat source. The separate stove is solidly built, powerful (enough), and designed with the four-legged stability you want when you’re handling 4 gallons of bubbling oil.

Price: $58

It's definitely enough for a nice knife, though you might want to go a bit higher for a great knife. The KaBar BK2 is actually designed with things like batoning (hammering the knife through wood as a kind of faux hatchet using another piece of wood against the blade of the knife as the hammer itself) or chopping. It's a bit over $60, currently available for $69 to be precise, but as long as you don't flat out abuse it (prying heavy things, for example) it'll serve you well and quite possibly for the rest of your natural life.

At a lower price, you can get the Condor Bushlore, which at $35 is a perfectly valid choice that will serve you well indeed.

For an even lower price yet, the Mora Heavy Companion is from one of those few cheaper knife companies that does incredible work. I wouldn't baton with it, honestly, but even if you did it'd probably hold up just fine.

At a more expensive range, the Ontario Rat-5 is an amazing bushcraft knife. The Fallkniven Pilot Survival Knife is also an amazing knife. The Benchmade Bone Collector is spectacular knife made in D2 tool steel, one of the better steels available at that price. Another amazing knife is the Spyderco Bushcraft made in O1 tool steel. Finally, the Benchmade 162 is a pretty amazing knife.

One thing you'll notice about all of these knives with the exception of the Pilot Survival knife and the BM 162 is that they're all carbon steel knives. Carbon steel is a lot tougher than stainless (with a few very, very rare exceptions I'd never trust a long knife to be stainless steel) with the trade off of being a lot more of a hassle to take care of, since it needs to be regularly cleaned and oiled.

If you want a fire starter, carry a magnesium fire starter. With the carbon steel knives, you can probably strike it against the back of the blade to create the sparks you'll want and if not (like with some of the coated ones) you'll be carrying the striker anyway.

For sharpening, you'll want to get a decent sharpening setup and start stropping. A couple of easy sharpening systems would be the superior Spyderco Sharpermaker (usually available on Amazon around the $50 mark) or the Lansky Sharpening system which while cheaper isn't as good. You could take the time to learn how to free hand it, but most casual users don't care that much because it takes a long time to get proficient at freehand sharpening. Stropping is running the blade against something like smooth leather (usually smooth leather, actually) to remove burrs along the blade of a knife made by use and sharpening and the restore a blade to a better edge without removing metal. Stropping allows for a level of sharpness unachievable by sharpening alone and extends a knife's lifetime by allowing sharpness to be achieved for longer without removing metal from the blade. To learn how to strop, watch videos on YouTube or check out guides from the sidebar of /r/knives.

Finally, if you want a whistle, just carry a whistle. If you want a mirror for signaling, carry a small signaling mirror or mirror polish the knife you buy (a process where you sand the blade with increasing grit level sandpaper until it shines like the sun and you can see yourself in the blade).

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

There are some very affordable burr grinders out there, and it's worth the investment. You'll use it pretty much everyday. Hand grinders can be very cheap, and work great. Hario Skerton is a popular choice (I've seen it around for cheaper, but this is at least what's on amazon). Plenty of options, all varying in price. There's a pretty decent burr grinder from Kona I've used before, which I got for like $20.

But manual grinding can take some time. And if you're like me, and you want some quick coffee in the morning, then it's worth investing in an electric. There are some pretty decent electric burr grinders out there. You really don't have to pay a fortune. Here are a few cheap options:

Capresso Infinity

Bodum Bistro

Baratza Encore

But you can get far snobbier than just grind...

What kind of water are you using? Hopefully filtered, not tap. And definitely not distilled, since you want some of those minerals for flavor. Now, if you want to get even fancier, try using these mineral packets. I think each packet mixes in with 1 gallon of distilled water. I haven't tried it myself (I just use a brita) but I've heard good things. The quality of water makes a huge difference. This was the first "eureka" moment for me, when I moved from tap to filtered.

Next, how are you making your coffee? There are some great, cheap equipment out there. In this sub, here are some pretty cheap and popular choices:

Aeropress

Chemex

Pour-over

French press

We're getting pretty deep in the rabbit hole, right? Not yet! How about measuring the weight of the coffee? Consistency is important. You need the same, proper coffee-to-water ratio for the best cup. You can find people debating over the best scales, some costing hundreds. I'd just get a cheap one if I were you. You can find some decent cheap ones from like $10 to $30. If you want the best bang for your buck, look into American Weigh Scales.

I guess I can mention temperature of water as well. You can get thermometers or even electric kettles with built-in thermometers (like this). I think temperature matters so much more for tea than coffee, but it's something you need to keep in mind for coffee as well.

Here's probably the most important thing, in my opinion: where are you getting your coffee? What is the roast date? Unless you're buying your coffee directly from the roaster, you're probably not buying freshly roasted beans. It makes a world of difference. Try finding a local roaster and getting your beans from them, freshly roasted.

I'm sure there's plenty of other ways you can splurge money on coffee, but I'll let you figure it out!

(edited to fix the links)

Hey man, let me hit you with my personal coffee journey. It worked super well for me, and it starts pretty entry-level. I highly recommend.

So, first and foremost, you need to start with pourover. Here's a pretty cheap starter set. Then you'll also need a kitchen scale, here's one of the smallest, most accurate ones I've found.

I'd also recommend getting an automatic burr grinder, which isn't exactly entry level, so it could be a secondary purchase if you find that you really want to get ball-deep into coffee. I started off with the Infinity Grinder, which worked well for me until I got an espresso machine (more on that later). But for pourover and most other methods (aeropress, coffee maker, even shit like siphon coffee, it's perfectly fine). Having an electric grinder is just going to make your life easier overall. But if you don't want to jump right into that, you could use the grinder included in the set I listed (I've never used it - it's probably not great, but I'm sure it'll work).

And that's all you need to make one god damn good cup of coffee. I've spent thousands of dollars on coffee equipment over the years, but for me, the best way to brew a simple cup of coffee is using a pourover method. And it's incredibly fun!

Now, once you've got a few months of pourover under your belt, it may be time to move onto other methods of brewing. Grab yourself an Aeropress. Aeropress effectively is the midpoint between normal coffee and espresso. It absolutely does not make real espresso, regardless of what anyone tells you, but that doesn't mean what it makes isn't super delicious. Plus it lets you start experimenting with the closest thing you'll be able to get to cappuccinos, and other fun things like flavored lattes when you have company over and want to impress them with some tasty java.

The Aeropress is fantastic, and it's ridiculously easy to clean. It's a nice way to be able to travel with a decent coffee maker, too.

Then, once you've got a couple years of delicious coffee down, it's time to get into the big leagues. Espresso.

Holy fuck dude. Espresso is complicated, and you really have to throw away everything you thought you knew about coffee. I know how pretentious that sounds, but it's super true. What I went with was a Crossland CC1, which was mainly because I got it for cheap on Craigslist for $400. But, warning, the Infinity Grinder will not grind accurate enough for espresso. For that you'll need something like a Baratza Hario or Sette 270 (I went with the Sette 270).

Anyway, that's waaaaaaaaay in your future. I'd highly recommend just starting off with pourover and some great beans (check locally, or order from Intelligentsia).

Enjoy your journey, bro. It's a great world out there.

My story is a simple story of liking coffee then slowly going down the wormhole into a full fledged problem.


I always liked coffee, since high school. Would always drink it black, sometimes would add some cream or milk, but usually just enjoyed a good cup. A good cup from a drip is rare, I didn't know this before, it was good to me.


What started me and my completely normal addiction, was a girl. I had taken a new job out of town, a 3hr drive away, and needed to move. I had just started seeing this girl so nothing was serious and we promised to keep in touch and visit once in a while. Well the relationship never slowed down and we ended up seeing each other every weekend. The problem was, when I went to see her and stay at her place, she didn't drink coffee so she didn't have a coffee machine. I would end up having some tea to hold me over. One day while we were grocery shopping, I ended up finding one of these. I thought $5 well that's not bad I'll be able to at least get a cup of coffee now. No reason to by another mr. coffee just to use twice a week, So I bought it with a bag a ground beans.

The next morning I tried out my purchase, had to boil water in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Made my cup and tasted it AND..... I don't remember now but it was passable, same as my next few cups. I slowly was getting my coffee:water ratio down and was getting better and better cups. And every so often I would get an amazing cup that would rival anything I had ever tasted, but then the next was ok, weak, or extremely bitter. Couldn't figure out why.

At this time I had just found reddit and found /r/coffee. I started to read some of the How to Coffee links and doing some Google searches. Oh water temp, get a quick read thermometer. Coffee was much better consistently. This was good for a while, finally the GF found a job near me I bought a house and she moved in. Then I had a Kitchen with lots of empty cabinets to fuel my new found addiction. Burr grinder was the next purchase along with a chemex, Coffee is excellent and consistently good.

Now over the next two years I'm always looking for the next best cup, Slowly it consumes the rest of the kitchen. A scale, a electric kettle, Aeropress, french press, vacuum pot, cold brew, Turkish, a goose neck kettle, pop corn popper... My kitchen is now full, once section dedicated to coffee, and every morning I slave over measuring the perfect amount of beans, getting the grind just right, perfect water temp. Timing the bloom with the correct amount of water. Perfecting the pour from the goose neck kettle. All so when I finally get to enjoy a cup I always wonder if I could get it better.

Oh goodie, I get to banter on about my preferences first.

My thoughts on the three sets you linked to, don't get them. If you absolutely must get a set of knives, you picked a great brand, but in my opinion all sets have knives you likely won't need and weird sizes to boot. I like a larger Chef and bread knife than is offered in any of those sets.

If I were to start over from scratch on a budget these are the knives I would absolutely have to get, in order of importance.

1. Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife ($27)
   
2. Victorinox 3 1/4-Inch pairing Knife ($6)
   
3. Victorinox 10 1/4-Inch bread Knife ($27)
   
4. Victorinox steel ($17)
   
   If you are a meat eater, I am not, you probably will want a fillet knife as well ($20).
   
   If I had only these knives I would be able to do 100% of the things I need to do. I use these knives nearly every day at home and in a professional setting. They have few drawbacks and many wonderful qualities. I have large hands and love the handles, so I would imagine that would be a non-issue. However getting your hands actually on a knife is a great thing to do before you buy one a.
   
   The only caution I have about Victorinox is that their santoku knife isn't all that wonderful. I use a wusthof santoku and it is ok for limited things, like intricate carving of vegetables where a pulling cut is useful, but a rarely used knife in general.
   
   I would recommend putting them on a magnetic, wall mounted knife holder. I searched for one that I thought looked cool, and the magnet works almost too well, but I love the thing. Alternatively, if you really have to take up counter space, you could go with one of the Kapoosh Universal Knife Blocks that will help you keep your knives sharp and allow your collection to grow and change over the years.
   
   For keeping those knives sharp I would recommend skipping the professional sharpener and getting one of these for $10. If you use your steel every time you use your knifes you should only need to sharpen them 2-4 times per year with heavy home use, more for thinner knives.
   
   I do not like straight wood for a number of reasons. First and foremost after a long period of usage the wood will get shitty. It will splinter, possibly separate from the tang, etc. if left in water or just after a period of washings. Once it gets in this shape all sorts of fun bacteria creep into those crevices. Plus they are more expensive. The only wood handled knives I have are some sort of composite wood with plastic and they are ok. Like the handle, if you can get your hands on some it would be a good idea.
   
   All of the aforementioned knives and accessories could be had for a total around $130-ish on Amazon. You could supplement them with a few things like a santoku, a shorter Chef's knife, or shears (Here's a santoku/shears combo that would be good).
   
   I think the above should cover all your bases, but feel free to ask if you have any further questions. Congrats on the engagement, you poor bastard.

Basically gonna echo most of the answers already posted, but just to pile on:

• 8" chef's knife. 10" is longer than may be comfortable and 12" is longer than necessary, but 7" may start to feel a little short if she's ever slicing large melon or squash. I'm a casual knife nerd and I have knives by Wusthof, Victorinox, Shun and Mac. My favorite.
  
  
• This Dutch oven. Enameled and cast iron just like the Le Creuset that a few other comments have mentioned, but much, much cheaper. I own two and they're both great. I also have the non-enameled version for baking bread, but I don't recommend it for general use unless you're a Boy Scout. Here's an entertaingly-written blog post comparing the Lodge vs. Le Creuset in a short rib cookoff.
  
  
• This cutting board and this cutting board conditioner. The importance of an easy and pleasant to use prep surface can't be overstated. I'm listing this third on purpose; this is one of the most important things your kitchen can have. A recipe that calls for a lot of chopping is no fun when you're fighting for counter space to do the chopping, or doing it on a shitty plastic board.
  
  
• A cheap scale and a cheap thermometer. Seriously, these are as important as the cutting board.
  
  
• Just gonna crib this one right off /u/Pobe420 and say cheapo 8–10" (I recommend 10–12" but that's my preference) nonstick skillet. One note I'd add is that pans with oven-safe handles are a bit more dual-purpose than pans with plastic or rubberized handles. You can't finish a pork chop in the oven in a skillet with a rubberized handle. But one could say you shouldn't be cooking a pork chop on a nonstick pan to begin with. The important thing is to keep this one cheap: you're going to be replacing it every couple of years, there's no getting around that. For my money $30 or less, and $30 is pretty expensive for these things.
  
  
  

• Cookbooks
  

  Nothing inspires cooking like a good cookbook collection. The great news about cookbooks is that they're often bought as gifts or souvenirs and they make their way onto the used market cheap and in great condition. Here are my suggestions for a great starter shelf:
  
  

1. The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt. I kind of hate that this is my number one recommendation, but I don't know your wife and I do know J. Kenji López-Alt. This one is brand new so you're unlikely to find it used and cheap, but as a catch-all recommendation it has to take first place. Moving on to the cheap stuff:
   
   
2. Regional French Cooking by Paul Bocuse. This is possibly the friendliest authoritative book on French food out there, and a hell of a lot easier to just dive into than Julia Child (Julia is the expert, and her book is an encyclopedia). Bocuse is the undisputed king of nouvelle cuisine and people like Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain (so maybe a generation ahead of you and I) came from him. Paul Bocuse is French food as we know it, and yet this book—an approachable, coffee-table sized thing—still has a recipe for fucking mac and cheese. It's outstanding.
   
   
3. Theory & Practice / The New James Beard by James Beard. These will completely cover your entire library of American cooking. Nothing else needed until you get region-specific. When you do, go for something like this.
   
   
4. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. When she died, the NYT ran a second obituary that was just her recipe for bolognese.
   
   
5. Christ, top five. Who gets 5th? I'm going with From Curries To Kebabs by Madhur Jaffrey. Don't get bamboozled into buying "Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Bible" which is the same book, repackaged and priced higher. You want the one with the hot pink dust jacket, it's unmistakeable. This is one of those end-all books that you could cook out of for the rest of your life. It covers almost every diet and almost every country that Beard and Bocuse don't.
   
   
6. Honorable mentions: Here come the downvotes. Pok Pok by Andy Ricker. If you're American and you want to cook Thai, this is the one. Ten Speed Press can go home now. The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Rosen (so close to making the list). I shouldn't need to say much about this; it's the book of diasporic Jewish food, which means it covers a lot of time and almost every possible country. It's a no-brainer. Thai Food by David Thompson (a perfect oral history of Thai food for English speakers, only it doesn't include Pok Pok's precise measurements, which in practice I've found important). Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish. Not for someone who just wants to become a baker, this book is for someone who wants to make Ken Forkish's bread. And for a casual bread baker I can't imagine a better introduction. Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham. Andrea Nguyen is out there and Andrea Nguyen is awesome, but I really like Mai Pham's book. It's accessible, reliable and regional. You don't get the dissertation-level breakdown on the origins of chicken pho that you get from Andrea, but the recipe's there, among many others, and it's fucking outstanding. Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. This vegan cookbook is dope as hell and will really expand your imagination when it comes to vegetables. This could actually have been number five.

Oh my god... it's like my dreams. all wrapped up into one contest!!

1. Wow, that is a really hard question. I'm kind of a movie nut buuut if hard pressed, I would have to say my absolute FAVORITE that I could rewatch over and over and still get swept up in time and time again would have to be The Dark Knight. Which is kinda weird for me since I was never really into the whole "superhero" "action" movies thing, but I can't explain it. I just love it :)
   
   
2. Honestly, I would like to win for myself. I'm a huge lover of r/MUA but my own makeup repetoire doesn't go much further than mascara! I absolutely love to try new things and new products so this would be fab. I actually just made a post about 2 weeks ago asking for help about how to make a basic haul soo... this really did come at a perfect time :) I would really like to... Sprout up and take the challenge.... of learning to makeup... (anything? hahaha)
   
   
3. Non-makeup entry under $5: Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer This baby is the bee's knees. The reviews really make me wanna give it a whirl. Makeup entry under $5: Lipstick! I stole this daring little lipstick for my list yesterday from /u/adragonisnoslave... it's just perfect!
   
   
4. Sprout & Bubble! (is this cheating? :P)

The best advice I can give you is to check out the America's Test Kitchen equipment reviews. Some of the things they recommend will be out of your budget, but most of the things will get you great quality at an affordable price. I'm very active in my kitchen and I don't buy anything without first looking to see if it's an item they've reviewed.

Example: Victorinox Fibrox Knives. Commercial quality, BIFL knives, and a fraction of the price you'll spend on department store BS.

$600 is a stretch to outfit a kitchen, but there are soooooooo many kitchen items sold that you DON'T need. Stay away from gadgets that only have one purpose. You can do MOST of what your really need with simple, multi-purpose tools. So here's the basics:

1. Knives (Victorinox Fibrox)Amazon This is a decent starter set that will give you versatility starting off. Add as you go.
   
2. Pots and Pans - All clad is the BIFL industry standard. I have them and love them. But a set will crush your budget. A starting set will usually be cheaper than one-piece at a time. For your budget I'd recommend the Tramontina tri-ply wich ATK rated highly right next to All Clad. At around $140, it's a great set. Also, get a non-stick skillet and whatever other non-stick pieces you can afford. The best rated non-stick cookware (better than All Clad, I've had both) is good old Tfal. Ask for the All Clad Stainless stuff if you ever get married.
   
3. Food Storage - I consider good food storage to be a kitchen basic, and the I like Snapware Airtight. But if the budget is tight, you can probably get buy on Gladware for a while.
   
4. Other Tools - This list should get you started without too much "fluff"
   vegetable peeler, grater, liquid & dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, thermometers (instant read), spatulas (plastic & metal), Wooden Spoons, Ladel & Larger Spoons, Tongs, Colander
   
5. Bakeware - at a minimum, get 2 commercial style aluminum sheet pans and I recommend 2 silpats to fit. These will make flawless cookies, roast vegetables, whatever in the oven. I'd also get some wire racks to fit as well. The rest depends on what you want to bake.
   
6. Small Appliances - this is where it gets tricky. Remember, focus on multi-purpose machines. I'd rather have one high-quality electric motor than many cheap ones - less to break. The first appliance I would buy are: a stand mixer (kitchen aid), a food processor(cuisinart), a blender (my favorite value, the new Oster Versa (a Vitamix without the price tag).
   
7. Dinnerware, Flatware and Glasses - Stick with classic stuff. White plates never go out of style and make the food "pop". Doesn't need to be expensive now.
   
   I'm sure I missed some things, but this will get you started. My recommendations added up will take you over your budget but you can decide what's most important to you. Don't skimp on the knives or the pots and pans.

I'll throw my vote in for a sharpening stone. If he doesn't already have a nice sharpening set, maybe consider getting him something like a nice diamond sharpening stone; I've seen them for $50 or less.

Tools are always nice. Here are some suggestions to think about:
~ microplane grater
~ Japanese mandolines can be fun to have around.
~ Fish spatulas can be a handy tool.
~ Does he have a good quality peeler? Everyone has a "normal" peeler, but I like to have a good quality horizontal peeler, like one of these, to use sometimes.
~ Does he do a lot of baking? If so, maybe some silicone baking mats for his baking sheets, or maybe some parchment paper.
~ Does he like to use fresh citrus juice very much? Does he have a citrus reamer?
~ Does he like to use fresh garlic? Maybe a garlic press?
~ Silicone spatulas?
~ Does he have a pepper grinder for fresh ground pepper?
~ Does he have a set of mise en place bowls or something to use to keep his stuff organized when he's working?
~ Does he have a scale? You can find plenty of options for home-use digital scales that can weigh up to 11 or 12 pounds, and use either pounds, or grams (if he's doing anything metric.)
~ Something like a good quality cast iron pan can be a lifetime investment, because if they're well cared for, he'll be able to pass it on to his grandkids someday.
~ A dutch oven will always be useful to serious home cooks. The enameled cast iron type are very popular, but they come in many different sizes and shapes, so keep that in mind when picking one out.
~ Knives are always nice. Paring knife, utility knife, serrated slicer, etc.

Those are just a few suggestions that popped into mind. Good luck, I hope you find something nice for him.

I think to best answer this request, we'll need a bit more info. Are you ok with a manual grinder, or do you prefer an electric grinder? Do you want a drip brewer or a pour over set up? Are you looking to get into espresso? And, what is your actual budget in your local currency?

And now for a guess at what might work for you...

A [Melitta Plastic Pour Over Dripper](https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527536804&sr=8-1&keywords=mellita) $5 to $6 (a lot of grocery stores carry these in stock)

A box of #2 Cone filters at your local grocery store $2

If you want an automatic drip brewer, and you are making smaller amounts for just you, the [Bonavita 5 cup](https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1500TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537674&sr=8-4&keywords=bonavita+brewer) is wroth a look. it runs about $66. I have the 8 cup for the wife and I and we love it.

Filters can be purchased, again, at your local grocery store for about $2.

[Brewista SmartPour Kettle w. Thermometer](https://www.amazon.com/Brewista-Variable-Temperature-Kettle-BKV12S02NA/dp/B01CFBBUVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537033&sr=8-1&keywords=brewista%2Bsmart%2Bpour&th=1) $40. There are cheaper ones, but I personally have this one and have loved it.

[Scale](https://www.amazon.com/Jennings-CJ-4000-Compact-Digital-Adapter/dp/B004C3CAB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537139&sr=8-1&keywords=Jennings+CJ4000) This is a must. $30

[Bratza Encore](https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1527537371&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=baratza+encore&psc=1&smid=A302OQK4GZWXCC) Grinder is the default recommendation around here, and for good reason. It's high quality, and easily serviceable. New they run $139, but you can save $40 and pick up a [refurb](https://www.baratza.com/product/encore-refurb/) (still with the 1 year warrantee) for $99 direct from Baratza.

If you want a cheaper option, and don't mind a manual hand grinder, there are a few options, but the [Hario Skerton Pro](https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Grinder-MMCS-2B/dp/B01MXJI90S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537536&sr=8-1&keywords=hario+skerton+pro) is about the lowest cost / still decent quality grinders, grinder that most would recommend. It runs about $60, and personally, I'd spend the extra $30 on an Encore refurb.

Happy Mug Beans are a pretty great option. I really enjoy the Big Foot Espresso blend (despite it's name) as a pour over, and even like it in my drip brewer. The Inspirational Artist Blend is a great option too. But really just try them out and see what you like. Their bags (for 1lbs of whole beans) run $11 - $13

Hope that helps.

Hey there. I'll give you a little summary of what I think most people on here will tell you in response to your questions.

Books: Blue Bottle ,Coffee Comprehensive and Uncommon Grounds are all good books to cover most of coffee and its processes.

This Capresso Infinity is considered a pretty decent burr grinder for the price. It will not do espresso but will be good enough for most other coffee brewing methods.

Getting a set up that is acceptable for "real" espresso is kind of expensive. A Gaggia classic is considered the bare minimum espresso machine for a "real" espresso. A Baratza Virtuoso is considered bare minimum for a decent espresso grinder. Now, you can (and many people do) find these items used, which obviously reduces the cost greatly. But depending on your area, finding these items up on craigslist or similar sites can be pretty rare.

I'm not from Rhode Island, but googling local roasters will provide some results. As for online ordering, tonx, blue bottle and stumptown are favorites around here for their price and quality. Beans are broken down on what region they came from, how they were processed and how dark they are roasted. Each region has different flavor profiles in their beans. African beans are known for being more fruity than other beans, for example. A little warning, most people on this subreddit believe Starbuck's espresso roast coffee to be too dark. However, many of Starbuck's light/Medium roast coffees have been reviewed as pretty decent. Most websites that sell the beans will list a flavor profile of the beans. The basic saying on this subreddit is that if you have crappy beans, no matter what, your coffee will be crappy. If you are going to overspend anywhere in the process, overspend on quality beans.

The espresso machines that you will be using at starbucks are machines that will basically produce espresso at the push of a button. They will grind, tamp and extract the espresso without any input from you. You should just know right off the bat that there is a whole other world to espresso making that is the exact opposite, with people grinding the beans to the right size, tamping by hand, and extracting shots with a lever that controls pressure. Neither way is right or wrong, you should just know that there are many different types of espresso machines and baristas.

I'll share a little bit of advise, take from it what you will. I was an ambitious college student coffee drinker just like you. I asked for a Breville espresso machine as my first real coffee making device (even before a grinder, how silly of me). I just wanted an espresso machine because that was all I was getting from these coffee shops. Since then I've gotten a nice grinder, a melitta pour over, french press, gooseneck kettle, aeropress, V60, moka pot, and chemex. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't turned on my espresso machine in over a year. There is so much more to coffee than espresso. There are so many methods to brew coffee that are cheaper, more complex and more interesting. If I had a chance to do it all over again, I'd buy the burr grinder I linked, and an Aeropress or any french press (Starbucks sells some pretty nice ones. You could get one with an employee discount) and just learn to love coffee on its own, without frothed milk and flavorings.

There is a ton of info on this subreddit if you stick around for awhile. Questions like yours are posted all the time and answered by very knowledgable people. Your enthusiasm for coffee is extremely exciting to see. Please don't let any of my advise subtract from your enthusiasm. Everyone takes a different path while exploring coffee. That's part of the excitement. You will learn a lot at Starbucks and you will learn a lot if you stay here. Enjoy your stay.

Different surfaces for different things.

One decent nonstick pan is great to have for things like eggs, but isn't great at high heat applications like searing meat. You'll never build a good fond in nonstick, and having pots lined with nonstick coating is just unnecessary. A couple of pans -- a larger one for cooking fish or day-to-day "I'm just browning some ground beef" kind of stuff, and a smaller one for fried eggs or whatever -- will be plenty. You don't want to spend too much on a nonstick pan, though, because by their nature their lifespan is limited.

One cast iron pan is great to have because it's great at really high-heat applications, but can also be used for any number of other things -- you can sear a roast in it, you can bake a deep-dish pizza in it, or brown off some chicken and then braise it in the same pan. It can become pretty nonstick over time, with the right care, but that's a long-term process. Cast iron is heavy, though, and requires different care than other pans (it's not difficult to take care of, just... different. You can't chuck it in the dishwasher and walk away.)

For an all-purpose workhorse, look for stainless steel. It's good in a wide range of applications, and can do almost anything reasonably well. It's a little more prone to sticking (which is a good thing in many cases), but it's also durable enough that you can scour the fuck out of it on those occasions when you need to.

More important than the surface of a pan, IMHO, is the base. Avoid anything with a thin base; over time, it'll warp, and that creates hotspots and wobbles that make cooking a pain in the ass. You want pans that have a pretty thick base. If you can get something that has a layer of aluminum sandwiched in, that's great. Aluminum conducts heat better than steel, so pans will get hot faster with some aluminum included. You don't really want to cook directly on aluminum, though, so something with steel and aluminum layers in the base is ideal.

You're probably not going to find one single set that covers absolutely everything; I'd advise one base set of stainless steel, and then a few add-ons as time/money allows. I know Cuisinart does a pretty nice set of tri-ply stainless steel pots and pans that runs under $200, and goes on sale for even less regularly. Add a T-fal nonstick pan or two, and one good Lodge cast iron skillet, and you'd be well-equipped for most things.

I have a rice cooker that cost ~$30 that's like this one. I love it! I've never used it to sear stuff but allegedly it does that too.


Rice

Remember that there are all sorts of different types of rice. Yeah, there's the typical fluffy white rice. But there's so many different types and flavors and textures so don't limit yourself!

It cooks rice really great! There are different settings for brown and white rice. I too have some weird inability -- maybe it's all mental at this point? -- to cook rice in a pot reliably well. Plus using the rice cooker allows you to measure it and walk away without worrying about the stove being on or needing to set a timer or anything.

Cooking rice in the rice cooker is simple. You just pour the rice and the water and whatever seasonings you want into the bowl and you push the appropriate buttons. On rare occasions it'll say it's done but it isn't; just add more water and turn it on again.

Beans

I'm sorry to hear about your aversion to beans! They're really cheap, filling, nutritious, store well, easy to cook, and (IMO) taste good. The procedure for cooking them is essentially the same as rice: water + ingredients + time = done. There are a few differences, they're all good ideas but optional:

• Soaking beans makes them less gassy and quicker to cook.
  
• The soak time depends on the beans but they're forgiving.
  
• Adding salt during cooking allegedly makes the beans tougher.
  
• Sort and pick out any tiny rocks before you cook.
  
  You can also cook rice and beans together! You just have to time it reasonably well so they get done at the same time.
  
  Steaming
  
  You can steam anything. I've done everything from carrots to potatoes to kale -- steamed kale isn't the best... -- to asparagus to chicken thighs to fish to whatever. Combining them can be really great too.
  
  You can use the steam function or you can just use the steamer basket while cooking rice or beans or whatever.
  
  Pot roast / misc
  
  You can use it like a crockpot to cook a big hunk of meat over the course of several hours. It doesn't do the job as well as a real crockpot, but it does a decent job.
  
  I've been told that cooking pasta is possible in a rice cooker. I haven't done it successfully.
  
  Quinoa and lentils are both cheap/filling/nutritious and work well in a rice cooker.
  
  I haven't heard of frying beans, but I suppose that there's a lot I haven't heard of.
  
  A rice cooker is incredibly versatile. It's never going to be as precise as the right pots and pans and a gas stove and an oven and constant attention. Like, it just won't. But it is incredibly convenient, easy to use, easy to clean, and it can produce amazing results too.
  
  Finally, check out /r/RiceCookerRecipes.

I roast with a heat gun in a breadmaker. The breadmaker just stirs the beans while all the heat comes from the heat gun. It is very fun. Clean up kinda sucks, but that's life.

I'd say 5/10 of my roasts are amazing. Better than buying from local professional roasters. I recently got a delicious malted chocolate taste from a Burundi. Seriously yummy. I've gotten blueberry and raspberry from Ethiopians. Sweet and delicious coffee.

4/10 are decent. I'm drinking one right as I type, an Ethiopian, that is... interesting... it has a lime flavor. It's definitely dialed in, not sour or bitter. Not particularly sweet. It's good, but not great. It's about as interesting as what I could buy from a local roaster... a little less interesting/delicious though.

1/10 are disasters. Over or under-done, "off-flavored," just something went completely wrong. Sometimes they're still salvagable... I have a VERY dark-roasted bean that I put a couple in as a blend with other Central/South American non-fruity coffees for dessert drinks. I will probably just cold brew it in a couple weeks. Brewed on its own it is just way too dark for me. It's probably a French roast. I've also roasted one so lightly that it turned pale and never really cracked. Tasted like lipton tea. Had to just toss it.

Overall, I highly recommend heat gun method if you're into the idea at all. It's surprisingly easy and fun once you have your set-up.

PS- you need to make sure you have a cooling solution too. I use a datavac that I already had (https://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500P-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001U899HQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1522274084&sr=8-2&keywords=datavac&dpID=418XjHwHhgL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch)

And I just put the beans in a colander, put a plate on top, and blow the heat off them.

Good luck!

This is off the topic, but just as a side thought:

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to storing sticks, but if I may - as a new smoker too - Read over this. This was my experience.

" I've literally smoked a handful of cigars up to this point. All came from the local B&M and have been great. Super knowledgeable, helpful bunch of guys, that weren't rude to dude "wet behind the ears".

I enjoy the hobby, a lot.

I got a humidor, couldn't regulate it very well (50 count humi at $50, and only gave it 2 weeks), got frustrated with it, returned it and went the tuppedor route.

All seems really well with my tuppedor set up.

1. Cigar Oasis Caliber IV Hygrometer
   
2. 2 Cedar Trays
   
3. 1 Sistema 1870 Klip It
   
4. 2 Boveda 69% (60g)
   
   I let the tuppedor do its thing with only the trays, bovedas, and Hygrometer (no cigars) in it for a day - it settled at 72 degrees / 69 RH in no time. This is a set it and forget it solution. I love it!"
   
   ​
   
   As someone new to the hobby I would recommend saving yourself some time and frustration. I know you have already purchased the humidor and its on the way, but if at all possible, you may just consider the Tupperdor route. Switching how I stored my cigars freed my mind and allows me to focus on whats really important - researching good sticks and enjoying them. Two weeks was a long time for me to constantly think about and attempt to season my humidor. And i researched and cross referenced everything on line and at my local B&M. The owners (three dudes) at my local shop all highly recommended the tupperdor route. These are guys who have been smoking cigars longer than I have been alive (30+ yrs).
   
   The owner said this to me (paraphrasing):
   
   "It isn't about having a fancy storage case. Its about enjoying time spent with good people. If someone gives you sh*t about how you store your cigars, but either they don't know what they are talking about, or they are an a**hole and you shouldn't waste your time on em. I've been using tupperware for over 10 years, and I'll never go back. Now --- if the president came over, then I may spring for a fancy box!"
   
   ​
   
   Just a thought.
   
   T Eldridge

> What kind of spices go with what? Right now, I'm just putting some salt, MSG, soy sauce, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes into most all meats I make because I really enjoy it. I'd like to know what else is good and for what purposes. Also I'm really sad that I haven't been able to use my cinnamon.

http://www.spicesinc.com/p-510-what-spices-go-with-what-meat.aspx

>Why does my chicken get sticky when I cover the skillet while it's frying? It's great and all, but I just want to know why and whether or not I can apply the same principle to other meats.

Not sure what you mean, generally what happens when you put a lid on is that your chicken starts steaming and frying at the same time. The excess moisture in the air would make the chicken skin go soft. Perhaps that is the 'sticky' you are talking about? I will often put the lid on something that isn't cooking well in the pan and needs heat from all sides. It is fairly rare I will ever put the lid on frying meat. I will usually put the lid on sauces to stop them evaporating more water and thickening.

>Right now I'm limited to ground beef and chicken breasts for meats. I was wondering if anyone could recommend some cheap/quick recipes using those that I could steal to diversify my cooking.

Steak is easy, sausages are easy, fish fillets are easy, cubed chuck for stews/curry/casserole is easy, slow cooker recipes are generally really easy (foolproof) and come with excellent results. Just google recipes, if the picture looks delicious then read the recipe steps and if you think you can do it then give it a go. Cooking is fairly forgiving of mistakes so don't be afraid to try.

>Also, does anyone have any good guides to dealing with dough? I've been meaning to experiment and have fun with dough (noodles, breads, pastries?).

I don't like making dough so I'll let someone else field this one.

>And a guide for pork. My better-cook-than-I-am friend keeps telling me I'll literally die if I don't cook pork right, but he's a pansy, and I like pork.

Pork is fine. Get yourself an instant read thermometer and use that to avoid over and under cooking meats. After a while you'll just be able to tell it is cooked by poking the meat with your finger. Use the thermometer until then.

http://www.amazon.com/Fastest-Accurate-Water-Resistant-High-Performance-Thermometer/dp/B00GRFHXVQ/ref=zg_bs_289809_4

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/safe-minimum-internal-temperature-chart/ct_index

>Is there a way I can use potatoes in my frying pan adventures? From all that I've read, people seem to want to boil them before using them for anything.

Generally a good idea to bake/boil/parboil before frying. There are some dishes you don't need to do this like a potato latke. They are easy and yummy. Look up recipes on google.

I marked things with a [w] if they're on my WL!

1. Something that is grey. China Glaze Polish Ecollection Recycle [w]
   
   
2. Something reminiscent of rain. Hehe, a watering can [w]
   
   
3. Something food related that is unusual. Miracle Noodles - they're these weird low-carb noodles [w]
   
   
4. Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!) LARPing Book for my friend Dennis. His is missing several pages, which is very frustrating to him. He's endlessly dear to me. [w]
   
   
5. A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it! Other People's Love Letters - doesn't that just sound romantic? :D [w]
   
   
6. An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related! Mickey Mouse Cookies!
   
   
7. Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...) SmartCat [w]
   
   
8. Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it. Triple heart necklace <3 [w]
   
   
9. A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why? Love Me If You Dare. Everyone should have more French film in their lives. It's a beautiful, artistic, funny, romantic movie. The main characters are hot.
   
   
10. Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain. Cast Iron is heavy! [w]
    
    
11. Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals. For exercise, way easier on my knees than the treadmill [w]
    
    
12. One of those pesky Add-On items. Awesome fabric softener - and I really want it, too! [w]
    
    
13. The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why? A Roomba. I have pets. I need to vacuum more often. I'm lazy. Also he would be my robot butler friend. I'd name him Alfred or Jeeves or Pennyworth. My cats would be afraid of him. [w]
    
    
14. Something bigger than a bread box. A mattress is quite a bit bigger! [w]
    
    
15. Something smaller than a golf ball. Pearl earrings [w]
    
    
16. Something that smells wonderful. Lilac and Lilies! [w]
    
    
17. A (SFW) toy. Cat toy! [w]
    
    
18. Something that would be helpful for going back to school. Chromebook! It's actually for when my husband starts college. [w]
    
    
19. Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be. Filter for my new fishtank! [w]
    
    
20. Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand. Electric bike so, my comment on this is: “Theoretically I would like to bike. Realistically I'd like to bike, except up hills. Oh, here we are!”. Right?! Also what they sell electric bikes on Amazon? Damn! [w]
    
    Bonus:
    
    Oregon Chai!

Hey! I'll offer up some noob advice since I just started a couple months ago myself and had these same questions. Firstly, welcome to the sub and to the cigar world in general. Hopefully you'll really enjoy your first few smokes and become a BOTL (brother of the leaf)! So here's the good news - a "starter kit" like you are asking about is actually so good that it can be a "lifetime kit." Many people here who have been in to cigars for many years still use this system. A humidor is very nice, but the cheaper ones aren't that great, and even the more expensive ones are truly not necessary. You can keep cigars in just as good condition in the setup I'm about to tell you as any that are kept in expensive humidors, generally. So what you want is nicknamed a tupperdor. Just like it sounds, it's tupperware made to be a humidor. The key is that it has to be airtight. So your basic glad snap lid things aren't usually good enough, but the ones that are airtight are still cheap, they just have snap tight latches and usually a rubber seal around the lip. This one is what I am currently using. Actually many people here use it as well. If you scroll down on that page you will see the "other people bought" suggestions are for a Spanish cedar cigar tray and a digital hygrometer, so you can see many people buy these for this purpose. [This is another option as well.] (https://www.amazon.com/Prestige-Group-AJ25-Acrylic-Humidifier/dp/B00J21X9IS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501388463&sr=8-2&keywords=acrylic+cigar) This one has the cedar lining in it already but holds fewer cigars and displays differently,
your call. Then you will need a humidity pack like this one from Boveda. They are cheap and this size works for up to 25 cigars I think. Anyway, you simply put it inside the tupperdor with your cigars and close the lid, that's it! The Boveda packs will maintain the humidity int he box at 69%. There are other levels you can get like 72%, and that's more of a personal preference I think. I found that 69% was very common so I went with that and it's been working well for me so far. Also, you don't actually NEED the cedar tray, but it does have some benefits for long term storage of cigars. I actually grabbed some thin Spanish cedar sheets out of a used cigar box and laid them on the bottom of my box for now. Works fine. As for the hygrometer, it's also not required for your needs. I still don't have one. The Boveda packs do their job very reliably. So there you have it, an inexpensive and very reliable way to store cigars for the short term while you test out the cigar world, and it will work long term if you like it and decide to keep smoking. Certainly others with more experience than me will chime in here if I made a mistake or three, this sub community is pretty great. Anyway, enjoy and if you have more questions fire away!

How are you crushing your grains? Do you have a mill? I would suggest buying a $5 feeler gauge and setting the gap to 0.037. That should get you very close to 75-80% efficiency.

Also, go buy this thermometer, it's basically the go-to many people here use if you don't splurge for the thermapen. Fast, cheap, accurate and waterproof(!!): http://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X-ProAccurate-Quick-Read-Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAG2

I've never used brewers friend. If it seems like it does all the calcs for you, great. If not, go buy beersmith for $30 and google brulosopher's beersmith setup videos - you will have nearly perfectly predictable accuracy going into your brew day.

For your process, It's pretty simple:

• Add your water 5-10 degrees hotter than your strike temp (strike temp is the temp before the grain hits it, when you add grain it will drop to your set mash temp). This is to pre-heat your mash tun. Stir it around until the temp drops to your strike temp, then add your grain.
  
  
• Add grain and try to prevent and balls of grain from sticking together, this can kill your efficiency. Once it's all added, give it a good stir up and double check for clumps and eliminate any you find. Close the lid, wait 5 minutes, stir and check temp. You should be bang on your mash temp, or extremely close. If you are way higher for some reason stir until it drops but the only reason you would be higher is if your calcs were off (grain temp is a huge factor here, enter that data point into beersmith if you've forgotten to).
  
  
• Stir every 20 minutes, just to be sure everything is being soaked properly, until your mash time is up.
  
  
• Drain and re-add gently to your tun (called vorlaufing) until the wort runs as clear as you can get it, and drain the tun, this is called your first runnings.
  
  
• Add your sparge water, likely at around 160-170 degrees. Give it a good stir, let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes to resettle the grain bed.
  
  
• Vorlauf again until the wort runs as clear as you can get it, and drain the tun into your first runnings.
  
  
• Give this collected wort a good stir before taking a reading so you aren't accidentally taking a sample from just your second runnings. If using a hydrometer, make sure you are taking the reading at the correct temperature!!! This is huge. Your wort is hot, it needs to be room temp for the hydro to take a correct reading.
  
  
• MEASURE YOUR EFFICIENCY. If you did everything above, you now have an idea of what you can expect for next time, put your efficiency into beer smith and it will calculate how much grain you need to hit your numbers next time. Your first few batches are kind of guesswork but after 2 or 3 batches you should be hitting very close to the same efficiency numbers (as long as you aren't doing some crazy high ABV beers or whatever, which will be much lower efficiency by their nature).
  
  Hope this helps.

<--- Barista here! I second the Moka suggestion. Unless you have thousands to shell out on a shop quality espresso machine, this is the next best thing. A good grinder is key, and burr grinders are best. This is mine. Also, steaming wands on cheaper machines never work very well and are horrible to clean. All you really need to get that nice foam easily is one of these nifty milk frothers.




Most retail coffee "machines" aren't built to last and make mediocre drinks. Low-tech almost always produces a superior tasting beverage. I have a Chemex(for normal coffee), a french press(for stronger coffee), a Toddy(for iced coffee) and a Moka(for espresso).


Also, if you can, seek out a roaster that is local to your mother. They will direct you to their best beans for espresso, and it will most likely be very fresh. All the roasters I have worked with are always happy to help customers troubleshoot and tweak to their tastes as well. It's a really worthwhile relationship for a coffee enthusiast.


So, Moka, burr grinder, frother wand, a pound of beans, and you're set. She'll love it. If you have some extra cash, and she likes normal coffee, throw in that Chemex. 10 times better than an auto-drip, and uses less beans as well. :)

Edit: for the record, I posted this before the lasybugs thing took off

You're not going to make any great progress on a PC build for that price. Besides, PC tech is changing so quickly, you shouldn't buy any one piece of it until you can buy all of it.

If you're looking for X1 games, I'm a huge fan of Destiny, but it's not for everyone. If you're looking for more of a sure hit, check out Shadows of Mordor or Dragon Age: Inquisition.

If you want to change things up a little, here are some of my favorite purchases (I'm a minor Amazon addict):

• The best thermos you've ever seen
  
  
• A super high quality door-hung b-ball hoop (you'll want to buy a nerf ball with it, the one it comes with is dangerous to valuables in the room)
  
  
• One of the best board games ever made
  
  
• A classy and useful EDC knife (there are lots of options on this front, /r/knifeclub has great recommendations)
  
  Check out my sub /r/everymanshouldhave for more recommendations like this. It's not super active of late, but it has some great suggestions if you look at the history

First off, I think this is the most elaborate contest I've ever participated in, so congratulations for that :P Fear cuts deeper than swords. I hope some of my items are awesome enough for some extra credit ;) Also I wasn't sure if duplicates are allowed. I will revise if necessary.

1.) Something grey and it's been on my wishlist.

2.) Rain, well not technically rain, she is a water bender :P Previously on my wishlist.

3.) Unusual, I think this is something I would use like twice a year. With ice cream or cereal.

4.) Someone else My sister and I want to start playing tabletop games. Previously on my wishlist.

5.) "Book" I took a little bit of liberty with this one because it's a graphic novel. But it's Batman, so...(Previously on my wishlist).

6.) Under a dollar.

7.) Cats There's a catbus in it, which is pretty much the best part of the movie. Previously on my wishlist.

8.) Beautiful As a Star Wars fan having the original trilogy on Blu Ray would be beautiful to me. I love high definition movies, especially ones that are aesthetically pleasing. Previously on my wishlist.

9.) Movie As a Browncoat, I would encourage anyone who has a remote interest in Sci-Fi to give this a chance. Previously on my wishlist.

10.) Zombie tool I don't think this needs explanation.

11.) (Updated) Useful for future. I have a desire to create meaningful video games. Previously on wish list.

12.) Add on I actually had this on my wishlist but removed it because add-on items are lame.

13.) Most expensive As previously stated, I want to be a game developer/designer so not only would it be fun to play with, I could create with it too. Previously on list.

14.) Bigger than breadbox Total in the box it is bigger than a breadbox. Previously on wishlist.

15.) Bigger than a golf ball It's a large book. Previously on wishlist.

16.) Smells good As a guy...I enjoy the scent of lavender.

17.) Safe for children toy I don't think this needs any introduction of why it's awesome.

18.) Back to school drawing helps keep me sane. Previously on my list.

19.) Current obsession I'm a noob to tabletop games. But have been wanting to get into it obsessively within the past month or so. And this also takes my love of A Song of Ice and Fire into the mix. Previously on list.

20.) [Amazing] (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XBR-65X900A-65-Inch-120Hz-Ultra/dp/B00BSREQI6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1376281533&sr=8-4&keywords=4k+tv) I've seen one of these in person at the mall and it literally made me stop walking the resolution was so incredible. I know it's as expensive as dicks...but man...when these are affordable...

Bonus 2) Made in Oregon I would have put Tillamook Ice Cream, since it's pretty awesome...but alas not on Amazon.

Edit: Changed an item because I saw it won't count because it's a duplicate.

When buying new gear like this, I often find it worthwhile to buy the good stuff from the beginning. It'll cost more upfront, but in the long run you save money by not sinking it into gear that you're just going to upgrade away from. I know you're looking for a starter kit, so I'll outline some entry level stuff and then some recommended upgrades.

For a burr grinder, a decent entry level manual grinder is the Hario Skerton. One complaint with this is inconsistent coarse grind size, which is what you'll be using with a French Press. Orphan Espresso makes an upgrade kit that fixes this problem, but personally I feel that if you're going to spend $40 on the Skerton and $15 on the upgrade kit, you should just spend a few more bucks and get something like the Capresso Infinity. This grinder is going to be way more convenient, versatile, and consistent than the hand grinder. For one last option, there's the Baratza Encore. This is probably the best grinder you'd want for French Press, because anything better / more expensive would just be overkill as they're primarily aimed at espresso.

The Press itself isn't too important. Bodum is usually the recommended brand.

You'll also need a way to heat water. You could go with a stovetop kettle, but I think electric kettles are more convenient, and are roughly the same price anyway. You can get a pretty standard one for less than $25. But getting a gooseneck kettle is going to help control your pour better and ensure the coffee grounds are completely saturated. If you don't want to worry about getting the perfect temperature for brewing, a variable temperature kettle will take care of it for you.

Other than that, you might want a kitchen scale to get the right coffee-to-water ratio, and a thermometer to check your water temperature.

Yes, I certainly do.

On the low end you have some handheld sharpeners. The Smith's model is iconic and cheap. It gives you an acceptable edge, but it's not going to be good, and once it's loaded with metal it's hard to clean. These are mostly for tackle boxes and backpacks, quick solutions. It really wouldn't do a Benchmade justice.

In the middle, you can buy a guided rod system. The Spyderco Sharpmaker is the best I've seen. Lansky makes a few like this one. These systems do a really good job on pocket knives. The Sharpmaker is a great investment if you plan on dealing with knives for any extended period of time. They can keep a knife very sharp for years. Lansky's systems are relatively inexpensive, but aren't as precise as and lack some of the features of a Sharpmaker. I think the Sharpmaker is an ideal solution.

On the high end, you're looking at sharpening stones. There are two classes, oil and water stones. Oil stones are slower, but water stones are used slightly in the course of sharpening (one might last a decade for me) and are more prone to damage. These let you do repair, produce a more customized edge, and work on a knife's geometry behind the edge, something all knives require eventually. The majority of the time you wouldn't need this level of equipment, but when they come in handy they really come in handy. I use water stones on all of my knives. For most pocket knife users it's much easier and less costly to let a professional do this sort of work and maintain the knife with a rod system. No links here; there are dozens if not hundreds of stones on the market and there's no perfect one. Starting costs are around $150.

At the super duper expensive level, you have advanced assisted sharpening systems like the Edge Pro. These things are slick, easy to use, and ridiculously effective. They should be for the cost. Stones are still more versatile and a lot of the people who use these branch out in many ways.

I've been wanting a goose neck kettle for some time. I've used some cheap alternatives such as oil cans and some tea kettles, but I've wanted a much nicer goose neck kettle for some time. They can cost quite a bit and you have to account for some heat loss if you are pouring it into a gooseneck from whatever container you heated the water in. I've been using a cuisinart variable temperature kettle for a couple of years now. It works great, but it only has presets and I could only choose 200F for coffee. I wanted a kettle that I could choose the exact temperature. This can really help dial in different roasts and help me achieve some great coffee. This should help me dial in some of my teas as well. I believe the going rate for one of these kettles is $90, but I got mine for $80 as part of a preorder. I don't know of a variable temperature kettle that has this functionality that is even close to this price point. I've got high hopes for this kettle.

I've preordered this badboy in May. I was initially slated to drop in July, but got pushed back until early September. I got mine yesterday. It's aesthetically pleasing and has all the functions I want. I do wish it was a touch bigger, but it should do the trick. I'll be sure to do a review in a month or so; after I've had a fair amount of time using it. Cheers.

Paracord is good survival type thing and can be used for pretty much anything. The galaxy is the limit with this one, use your creativity and imagination and paracord can get it done.
https://www.skilledsurvival.com/paracord-uses-for-survival/

My shoulder light has a red light, white, and yellow, and I can adjust them all individually or have all of them blinking at the same time (like a cop light). It’s extremely useful for when you are dealing with people at night, no more holding a flashlight in your mouth while you write!
https://www.guardianangeldevices.com/m/law-enforcement-safety-light/

Our work has a gerber brand as well, I got a leatherman when I was 15 and still works amazing 10 years later. I carry that instead because the work multi-tool isn’t upkept very well and is super dull over the years.
I am not sure if they still make mine but it is similar to this one: https://www.swissknifeshop.com/shop/leatherman/multi-tools/leatherman-surge-multi-tool-black-4-pocket-nylon-sheath

I sharpen my SpyderCo knife (use it all the time!) and multi tool with this: Spyderco 204MF Triangle Sharpmaker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Q9C4AE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_whL1Cb8PQK0H8
It is pricey but will last a long time. Good quality in my opinion.

As far as money goes, really have to ask yourself how long you will use the item and how much use you will get out of it. Especially things like safety, I’ll buy a pair of Oakley’s over buying a lower-end brand. I personally like spending money on quality I know I’ll use a lot and having it last than to have something I’ll need to replace every few years. But there are cheaper options that work just as good.

We just have a standard toolbox, top swings open and there is a removable tray- so 2 levels of storage. Med bag is almost like a duffel bag but square. Brochures are in an organizer bag that straps onto a seat. Fee envelopes and other smaller paper items are in a small storage tub with clasps.

My personal stuff I carry a small Osprey bag that holds everything real well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019TQPL4A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ExL1Cb2BVDB4S

I do want to note that many items were gifts, I am by no means rolling in money. I also don’t want you to feel like you need all this stuff. I really like being prepared and I go camping a lot as well so I get a lot of use from them, so for me it is worth it.

Here's what you do for each of these problems:

> Rice constantly sticks

Get one with a non-stick pot. Don't ever scrape it with something metal, always use a wooden or plastic spoon to remove the rice. Add enough water so it doesn't burn on the bottom. Usually this will be enough, but some high end cookers allow you to control the exact temperature they cook at, in which case, you'd use a lower temperature and cook for longer.

> it leaks

Hinge-top cookers tend to leak less than lid-top ones all else the same, but the big problem here is using too much water when cooking. Ideally, you want to use as little water as possible, just enough to cook the rice through. Maybe even a little less, leaving a tiny "bite" in the middle, like al dente pasta. So experiment by using: the same amount of rice, the same brand and type of rice, and the same cooker- but reduce the amount of water you use until you reach that "just cooked through point". This should 1) Use a bit less water 2) Cook a bit faster 3) Leak a little to a lot less 4) Make rice with a little more interesting texture

> it's difficult to clean

Knowing which are easy to clean or not really requires looking at the inside of the cooker and seeing where water and steam are allowed to go. Hinge top can control what happens more, but you also look for large overflow inserts. (You also clean out the overflow insert thingys every time you cook). In the cooker I linked, it's hard to see, but it's a clear, plastic, thin "cup" on the right side of the first and second last pictures. They pop out of the side of the cooker for easy cleaning, and their purpose is to catch overflowing water/steam.

> only makes 2 cups of rice (uncooked)

Buy a larger cooker.

-----

I recommend Aroma cookers for this price range. I've had a lot of success with them over the years.

8-cup capacity is probably what you want, but if you need to cook really large quantities of rice every day and counter space isn't an issue, they also have a 20-cup capacity one for not much more money.

They have: the capacities you're looking for, non-stick pots that work, overflow insert cups for if you do add too much water, and two different settings for white and brown rice, which is nice.

Anything under 100$ doesn't really do anything better than this. If you really want a cheaper option than the Aroma, go with the cheapest glass lid one you can find, and really work on getting the water added right (minimized), would be my only advice.

And if instead you wanted a more expensive one, you could spring for a Zojirushi, which have a really good reputation for consistent cooking, and have some neat features and stuff (I don't know I haven't used many of them), but are usually quite a bit above 100$.

Alright- I'm gonna throw at you my standard 'I've got cash to buy new cookware: what do I get' list. It's pretty much the same for a guy/gal who just got divorced, a dude/lady moving out of the dorms and into their first apartment, or really anyone who is working with nothing but some bare cash and wants to turn it into food.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. 10 or 12 inch cast iron pan - Lodge. Goes for $18 on amazon. You want this for 'general purpose' preparations; that's essentially putting heat on anything that isn't fish or eggs (more on that later). You're gonna get it pre-seasoned so some regular maintenance (eg. make bacon in the pan once or twice a month) will keep it just fine. Wash it with soap and water after each use, dry it thoroughly, don't ever let it sit in water (it can and will rust). It'll last longer than you. This isn't going in the dishwasher- sorry. But it's easy to clean and will reward your patience. Steaks, pan pizza, shallow frying, roasting a chicken, fajita veggies, making quesadillas, pan nachos, whatever it is that isn't fish or eggs goes in this pan.
   
   
2. 6qt enameled dutch oven - Also lodge. Goes for 50 bucks on amazon. This is your big-deal saucepan for building tomato sauces, stews, soups, deep frying (get a fry thermometer), braises- anything where you need a lot of liquid and need to put some heat on that. It's enameled because acids can leech into raw cast iron and alter the flavour of your food; and tomato is acidic (for example). Making short ribs? Sear 'em on the stovetop, move the pot into the oven for a final braise. This sucker will also last longer than you. Yea- it's dishwasher safe, but if you want it to stay pretty wash it by hand- it takes a few seconds and she's a pretty looking thing. Treat her right.
   
   
3. 12 inch stainless pan Tramontina, 18/10, Tri-Ply, fully Clad 60 smackos on the 'zon.com. You don't really need this per-se if you've already got your 12" cast iron, but if you go 10" on the cast iron (which I recommend, they're heavy and 10 is easier to manipulate), snag this puppy in 12". She's your go-to roaster for things that won't fit in your 10", for example. Or if you're prepping a multi-course meal she's available when your cast iron isn't.
   
   
4. Nonstick pan any cheapass pan will do this one is $12, so whatevs. This pan has exactly two uses, so listen carefully. Eggs. Anything egg-based (except quiche since that goes in the oven- but fuck quiche, and poached eggs since they go in water)- so omelettes, eggs over easy, eggs over hard, eggs scrambled, crepes. Fish. If you need to put heat directly on fish it goes in this pan. Abuse the piss out of this thing if you want to, but the second anything starts sticking to it- throw it out and have a new one shipped amazon prime. This is disposable just like every piece of nonstick cookware in the world because none of them last forever, and ignore anything that tells you differently.
   
   
5. Stock pot specifics are also unimportant this one is 22 dollarydoos. This pot has 3 major requirements- it needs to be big, it needs to have a lid, and it needs to be big. Nothing crazy or special about this thing because it only has a few major uses: bringing liquids to a boil/simmer is one of the major ones. This is where you'll make your stocks, boil your pastas, and really that's about it. Water should be the first thing in this pot most of the time.
   
   
6. Saucepan don't really care about this one either- here's one I think it's $30. Just like your stock pot- this is for liquids (sauce pan- duh) except smaller. Late night ramen, rice, and steamed milk are going to be its biggest uses initially. Over time? It'll take anything your dutch oven doesn't have to do, and anything your stock pot doesn't want to do. Requirements? Lid. Handle. That's about it.
   
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   You'll notice the startling lack of any 'set' or anything of that sort here. That's because sets of pots you don't need are dumb. You'll note none of these have glass lids, that's because glass breaks. You'll note none of this stuff costs a fortune, and that's because it doesn't have to. This setup can handle 95% of cooking tasks without breaking a sweat, and without your credit card company celebrating the new statue they can build outside their main office because of all the money you spent. Leftover cash? Buy a knife, get a few wire racks and baking pans, and buy a nice cut of steak, some pasta, some salmon, and veggies to try out your new gear.

Nonstick is okay in certain circumstances. I have a good quality 12" Nordic Ware pan which I got off Woot and is great for some purposes. If you're warping your pans, you're probably getting it too hot and then throwing it in the sink. Even a high quality pan is not immune to thermal shock.

My biggest advice is to NOT buy a set but to buy individual pieces as you need them. If you must buy a bunch at a time, I advise going à la carte.

Here's what I recommend:

• A 6 qt enameled Dutch Oven - Mine is made by Tramontina but Lodge and Le Creuset make some great ones as well (just expect the French made Le Creuset to be far more expensive.) This pan is a great multitasker and you can make bread in it, cook stew, boil down bones for stock etc.
  
  
• 2 qt and 4 qt saucepans. Look for high quality welded handles instead of rivets. Tri-Ply (where a layer of aluminum is pressed between two layers of stainless) is your best option and All-Clad is a nice made in the USA option, but Tramontina (sold at some Walmarts but also Walmart.com) and Sur La Table's store brand are also excellent.
  
  
• A 12" stainless skillet - again, go with TriPly from Tramontina or Sur La Table (All Clad if you are rich)
  
  
• A 12" Cast iron skillet. These are a pain in the ass for the first year or so and you'll get a lot of circlejerking and such about the best way to season (expect lots of stupid old bacon jokes and rednecks talking about cooking "critters" they ran over and stuff like that.) Wading through that mess, you can find that cast iron is essential but not the only thing to cook in.
  
  
• 12" T-Fal Non-stick skillet Again, not BIFL but a good quality piece that will make cooking eggs a lot easier if you aren't willing to deal with cast iron.

Charcoal grilling is great! The only additional purchase I would make is for a chimney starter, if you haven't already. Weber makes a great one that will last you a while and is like $15. You can use newspapers, balled up paper towels, or the little chimney lighter cubes to start the chimney, whichever is easiest for you. I like the cubes, they're very consistent and easy.

This article from Serious Eats talks about several different two zone charcoal setups. They're all fairly basic, but they are good to know.

When you purchase charcoal, don't buy any of the stuff with the lighter fluid on it. And don't add lighter fluid. If you get the chimney starter right you'll never need it. It imparts a yucky chemical flavor in the meat. I prefer briquettes. They are more consistent for me and they are much cheaper where I live. Lots of people love lump charcoal but it's a lot harder for a beginner I think.

Learn where your grill vents are. They're much more important to charcoal grilling since they are how you control the heat.

These are all great resources that have been posted. Read through them and keep coming back here! This is a great community.

Edit: If you don't already have an instant read thermometer, you should definitely buy one. It's one of my most used tools in the kitchen and on the grill. There are a ton out there. I've had the Lavatools Javelin for a while now and love it. It reads the temp quickly, it isn't crazy expensive, and it looks nice. It really stepped up what I was pulling off the grill.

Forgive me for the terrible formatting but I'm writing this in notes for easy copy and paste. I'm moving soon and I'm like 90% sure this will be the layout of the apartment I stay in.

I have a rough idea how I want things but I'd like some feedback and a forum to bounce ideas off. Ok so as I stated above I want it to have a SUBTLE cyberpunk feel think along the lines of:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cyberpunk/comments/48p40k/apartment/?ref=search_posts&st=J3CV1TAX&sh=7aa1f669

Without all the clutter obviously. I want to have a simple futon where the couch is located and the tv exactly where it is in the render. to the left of the futon I want a corner desk such as:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FB5LE8/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3LMFRI393MQQT&colid=2Z9WWCIKD2PXQ

Also I should point out what got me interested in a sort of cyverpunkish is that I have a small purple neon sign that I acquired while I was living in Japan that I think would look pretty neat as some nighttime ambient lighting. I still don't know where I'd put it.

Ok so for the area where the bed is located (I plan on using the futon as my bed) I plan on putting my homelab server equipment. I'm a net admin by trade so it something I definitely plan to build. Anything else you guys could think of to help? Some nice dressers, nightstands, coffee tables and such that would fit the aesthetic I'm going for? Is my plan terrible and can you think of a better way to design the place? I'm not extremely anal about this whole thing I just wanna be comfy in my place especially since it'll be the first time I'm going to live alone.

Do you have an ALDIs store where you live? If so, you can quite easily eat decently on a budget. If not, then try and look around online for the cheapest store which sells items I am about to mention. I wouldn't go with the Dollar Store/Dollar General as they have higher prices usually. If you have a dented food store, commonly ran by Mennonites, you can save some decent money on food. Make sure to check the dates. I ran across an item before where it was 2 years past expiry.

Do you have a rice cooker by chance? You can pick up an awesome one on Amazon for $30 and it will more than pay for itself. You can also find a decent slow cooker for $50. Once you have these two items, you will never go back to Ramen and Mac.

The trick is to cook once for several days. If you are like me and work 10 hour days, you are pooped out and just want to crash, so having time to cook is rare. You can cook in bulk ahead of time and save time, money, and eat healthier. That $1.50 box of Mac and Cheese can be replaced by a bag of rice and some I currently only have to feed myself and I do it for between $100 and $150 per month on average. This includes things I don't mention here. I don't coupon, but I do watch for sales. I don't know what your budget is or what your dollar store carries, but here are some of the items I eat and what I do.

• Chicken
  
  Chicken is a very healthy and affordable protein you can buy to use in many items. I normally buy boneless, skinless breasts or thighs when they are around $1.29 to $1.99 a pound at whatever nearby store. I will buy about 4 packages of them and break them down into meal-sized servings and freeze for later use. The reason I don't go with bone-in chicken because the price difference of boneless makes up for the loss of meat from the weight of the bone and the time spent picking it off when using a slow cooker. However, it is more of your own preference. You can find drumsticks and thighs with the bone for as little as $0.59 per pound.
  
  Once you have chicken, you can do lots of things. I like to bake it and then slap on some Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce for a few minutes towards the end. You can always saute it with vegetables and make a stir-fry. You can throw it in the slow cooker and make some amazing dumplings while you sleep or at work. You can throw it in a bowl with some rice and a vegetable and cook plenty of meals in advanced. Example.
  
  
• Lentils/Rice
  
  Lentils and rice are a very good and cheap option as well. A one pound bag is like a dollar and easily covers four meals for a single person. You can make lentils into soup, make and mix with some other protein, or eat with a little bit of salt. Rice can be used in many things. I like making this recipe (with half of the cilantro) and eat it with baked chicken.
  
  
• Pork/Venison Roast
  
  You can often find pork butt roast on sale for as low as $1.19 per pound. I buy a 5/10 pound roast and split it into 2.5 pound portions to later slow cook. I normally throw some vegetables (carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions, etc) at the bottom of the slow cooker, then throw the slab of meat on top, throw a can of root beer or Dr. Pepper in, and then leave it on to cook when I go to bed/work. Here is what it would look like before I throw it on, but I don't have any after pictures. You can either slice it up, make into stew, or pull it apart and make BBQ sandwiches. This will feed me for several days.
  
  
• Homemade Protein bars
  
  I work night shift, so I don't have a normal breakfast. Even days I wake up in the morning, I still don't. What I do eat is protein bars which I found a recipe for off of Reddit. I think they were about $0.40 a piece after factoring in all of the ingredients. I eat one for breakfast each night on the way to work and have one spare just in case I end up working through lunch.
  
  
• Simple Freezer Meals
  
  I came across this Reddit post awhile back. It is really simple to do and cheap. You can mix it up and switch out the vegetable or replace the chicken with beef, and add rice to make each meal more filling. Here is the aftermath of my last round of making these.
  
  I would write more, but I have been called into work to deal with an emergency. I hope these helped you or at least gave you an idea of items you can do.

You need to know that your coffee is about to get a lot tastier. Also siltier. The silt puts some people off, but I love it--just decant carefully. Also, after the four minutes of steeping, press the plunger and get the coffee off of the grind immediately. Transfer it into a thermos or your cup, don't let it keep sitting there on the beans in the press.

But I will say: DO NOT get a french press without also investing in a decent burr grinder and buying fresh, quality beans from a good roaster (or learn to roast at home). I would recommend this one as a quality grinder at a good price. Set your grind to course, and don't grind until your water is near boiling. Your grinder is your most important piece of equipment for world-class coffee brewing; it is not the piece you want to skimp on.

I have had some truly transcendent cups of coffee...and blown the minds of friends who had never had french press before. Happy mornings!

I love my Bodum Brazil press.

Stay at home Dad here. I cook for six every night. Prior to about four years ago the most cooking I did was on the grill. I started with the Betty Crocker Cook book. Literally. Red book in binder format. It has simple comfort food and the recipes are simple. I now have 30+ cookbooks, some better than others. (Giada's are only good for the pictures.) Once I started cooking, I then started watching Alton Brown for other ideas and other techniques, but without a firm base of at least six months of trial and error, it won't help much. Without that, it'd be like watching a Michael Jordan video having never even picked up a basketball and thinking you could play like him. Get used to the environment first.

Start simple. Do a chicken breast and a vegetable from a can. Maybe rice. But note what works and what doesn't. Get a feel for what a "done" chicken breast looks like and feels like. Same with a pork chop. Same with some pasta. Get yourself used to the chemistry and physics of cooking first, then work on more complicated techniques and dishes.

Starter Supplies:

• One good frying pan - nonstick
  
  
• One good Chef's knife - [$25 on Amazon]
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M5U1C2/182-6325493-8824318)
  
  
• Cooking Thermometer - $14 on Amazon - Cook all meats to 160 degrees F to start. You can get fancier later. To start don't poison your guests.
  
  
• Flexible cutting boards - $5 Amazon This makes it easy to chop and then dump straight into the pot/pan.
  
  Clean while you cook.
  Salt and butter are always your friend. And cheese. If something sucks, add cheese. Good luck!!! Report back please.
  
  
  TL;DR Just start cooking. Keep it simple, but start cooking.

Before I start, I should warn you that discovering good coffee can be expensive. It's also a bit time consuming. If you're in it for convenience, stick with the beans you're drinking now.

Freshness of coffee is highly dependent on two things: the time since roasting and the time since grinding. The best thing you can do is find a good local coffee roaster and get whole beans from them. Then get a good burr grinder (I love my Capresso Infinity Grinder) and grind it yourself immediately before brewing. Getting the coffee locally is good because you'll get to know the roaster and they'll almost always print the roasting date on the bag. Grinding it yourself ensures that the flavor stays locked in the beans until you're ready to drink your cup.

If you don't have any local coffee roasters, you can try your luck with some decent coffee from Amazon. Cafe Altura Sumatran is pretty good, although they don't put the roasting date on their bags, so you'll have no idea how fresh it is. Some of the best coffee I've ever ordered online was from The Birds and The Beans.

If you're just starting out, then I recommend getting a french press or an aeropress. You can even use them to make pseudo-lattes. (Obviously, to make a real latte, you'd need an espresso machine. But those get really expensive, really fast for anything decent.)

Hope that helps. :)

Kratom can be a very beneficial tool if used responsibly. First, you'll want a gram scale like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000O37TDO/ref=pd_gwm_simh_0?pf_rd_p=eeda26e3-c818-411e-91c7-e824b2883986&pf_rd_s=blackjack-personal-2&pf_rd_t=Gateway&pf_rd_i=mobile&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=898VZ29JK7381FRKZA4Q&pd_rd_wg=8n6KV&pd_rd_r=898VZ29JK7381FRKZA4Q&pf_rd_r=898VZ29JK7381FRKZA4Q&pf_rd_p=eeda26e3-c818-411e-91c7-e824b2883986&pd_rd_w=7WJry&pd_rd_i=B000O37TDO . You should try a red, Bentuangie, gold of green strain. The different colors represent have different alkaloids, which give them different effects, to put it simply. As for vendors, herbal Rva, socal herbal remedies, Gaia ethnobotanicals are some of the most popular here. I recommend getting the Royal Bentuangie and whatever other strain from Herbal Rva, https://herbal-rva.com/?s=speciosa&post_type=product . It is the strain I recommend to people for relaxation / pain relief, as it works really well and is very popular. The side effects from Kratom are nausea, headaches and withdrawals (which are different for everybody). You'll get nauseas if you take too much, you'll get a headache if you don't drink a lot of water as Kratom dehydrates you similar to alcohol does. You can also eat some ginger like the candy Chimes or Gin Gins and they help with nausea. These are easy to avoid though, by finding the best dose that works for you. A good amount to start with is 2 grams, and if it doesn't work that well, then add a gram after a few hours have passed. Keep doing this until you find an amount that feels good and works for you. Something to remember though is that some strains of Kratom won't work and you won't feel them, while some will work great for you. I wrote a post on how I take my Kratom, and there are some more methods in the comments https://www.reddit.com/r/kratom/comments/6in8zl/the_easiest_most_effective_way_to_take_kratom/ .Hope this helps, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask

Yea I didn't really know anything about it until I got it home and researched it. The people that owned it before were grinding flavored beans (i.e. coated in syrup) so it was kinda gross, but cleaned up easily. This is the grinder. I guess it's up to $100 bucks haha. STEAL!

Popcorn popper roasting is pretty easy. You have to do fairly small batches (about 1/3 cup per ~5 minutes), but it's not a big deal. It's kind of relaxing and I enjoy the experience. This is the one I have. I found it on sale for around $14. Totally worth it. The only details I had to get down were blocking the exit chute with a piece of foil and cutting some vent holes in the side. You have to do it outside since the chaff goes EVERYWHERE, and it's hot here, so the machine kept overheating and shutting off. Other than that, you just put the beans in, plug it in, stir them around a little (I just use a long stick I found outside..still going strong) until they get light enough to auto-stir, then listen for the crack and watch the color.

It's immensely satisfying roasting your own coffee, and places like Sweet Marias are very knowledgeable and have great selection. I usually order their sampler packs of 3-4 pounds. I save one cups worth of roasted beans from each sample then when I'm done with all of them I do a taste test. With an AeroPress it's super easy to brew multiple cups of coffee at once.

I don't really have a recipe, but this is how I'd break it down in a very explicit manner:

1. Buy a 3-lb bag of frozen chicken thighs (boneless+skinless is easy mode, and frankly, I'm not convinced that it's worth the effort to get the bone+skin version after switching to boneless+skinless). Also buy some BBQ sauce. I usually use Sweet Baby Ray sauce.
   
2. 2 days before you want to cook it, put it in the fridge in a big bowl or something (avoid leaks in your fridge).
   
3. After ~2 days (you could do 1 probably, they'll just be kinda frozen still), put all of the chicken into your slow cooker (I have a 5-qt one, 4-qt is probably fine too).
   
4. Squirt some BBQ sauce on it until the top layer of chicken seems adequately covered. I don't really measure, but I can use a medium-sized bottle like this at least a few times.
   
5. Put it on "low", and come back 6 hours later.
   
6. Turn slow cooker off and remove chicken. Put it on a cutting board or something. I have a flexible plastic cutting sheet. Rip it up with forks a little bit so it's not in super big chunks. If parts seem dry/unflavored, you can spoon a bit of the cooking liquid onto it. As you're ripping it up, maybe filter out the yucky looking fatty bits and throw 'em out. (When I use the boneless+skinless chicken, I end up with way less "yucky" stuff at the end.)
   
7. That's it.
   
   I have also let it cook for ~30 minutes longer, or let it sit on the "Keep Warm" setting for ~2 hours, without a noticeable change in the results. The "keep warm" is nice if you have a programmable slow cooker and you start it in the morning before going to work.
   
   Alternatively, this is a very good pulled pork recipe that I've done. What I'm doing now is skipping the soda and applying BBQ right away, and subbing in chicken thighs for the pork for health reasons. Also, I don't think I've never used the full 18oz of BBQ the recipe calls for. Seems like a lot.
   
   Also, ~30 minutes before the slow cooking is done, you can start up a batch of rice and nuke some veggies. I haven't explored adding the veggies to the slow cooker yet, but that's probably an option too. If you don't have a rice cooker, I have this one and I love it (4 cups of rice is enough for 6-8 meals depending on how much you like rice). Looks like it's cheaper than when I bought it too.
   
   Lastly, /r/slowcooking is probably worth checking out.

I'll echo the other comments - you're basically already set up to do BIAB. You'll need to buy a bag (a 5-gallon mesh paint strainer works great) and ingredients. A small kitchen scale (at the gallon level being off a few grams on your hops can mean big changes in IBUs) and a quick-read thermometer (https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-PT12-Javelin-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ) will be good purchases as well.

I tend to buy in bulk because it's hard to justify shipping on 1 gallon's worth of ingredients. Crushed grain won't last as long as uncrushed, but if you keep it sealed and dry, I don't think you'll have an issue keeping it for a few months. If you have a local shop, it'll be a little easier. If possible, get your grain double crushed - it'll help with efficiency.

You can make a pretty good beer with a couple pounds of Maris Otter, an oz of Mosaic (~30 ibus at 60, 1/2 oz at 0 min and the rest at dry hop), and some US-05. I'll add 1 gallon of water to my pot (use a ruler to mark the height of the water so you'll have 1 gallon into your fermenter) and begin heating this to strike temperature - I've found about 162*f will get my mash temp to about 150-152. Go ahead and treat this water and about a 1/2 gallon of sparge water with campden to remove any chloramines in your water (no one told me about this when I first started, and it's one of the best things you can do for your beer. Maybe you are already adding campden, but if not, it's time to start). Put the mesh bag into your pot, add your grains, stir, and then stick the mash into the oven for an hour. I preheat my oven to 170 and then turn it off when I put my pot in there. You want just enough heat to keep your mash from dropping in temperature.

After an hour, pull your grain bag out and place it into a second bucket or pot to sparge. Repeat the rinse / drain / squeeze sparge process until you have 1 gallon of wort in your main pot. Boil as you have done previously, occasionally adding sparge water to the boil in order to maintain 1 gallon of wort. I find this much easier than trying to account for boil-off by starting the boil with excess wort.

Also, remember that a pack of yeast is meant for 5 gallons. It's maybe not the most sanitary practice, but I'll pitch 1/4 packet and then save the rest by folding, taping, and storing it in a plastic bag in the fridge. It's an easy way to save a couple of dollars per batch.

Kind of a tie for me between two items:

First is a Raspberry Pi kit. I have been looking at getting more into this, but hadn't found a project that I thought would be worth spending the money on. Although it can be used for myriad things, this particular kit is meant for retro gaming. It can play anything from Commodore64 and Atari to Super Nintendo, Genesis, PS1, and possibly PS2 (haven't looked into it yet). It is basically my entire childhood smished onto a microSD and a small circuit board, and it will allow me to pass my love for those games onto my kids. My younger son, especially, loves trying out new games, and even is into some that I was never into, like sports games. He's tried a few of my old SNES games on an emulator and loved them, but didn't like the keyboard controls. Not only that, but it will give me a project to do.

The other one is a variable temperature electric kettle. I don't know how much of a tea drinker you are, but using the proper temp for the type of tea really makes a world of difference. For comparison, it's like going from nasty, generic dining hall cheap-o brand coffee to high-falutin' gourmet stuff from a civet's ass. Brewing the perfect cuppa can be difficult, if you have no way to measure temps, going more on instinct and hope. This kettle saves you that trouble and brings it up to the proper temp, and keeps it there for you.

Awesome contest. Thanks for the opportunity!

Nonstick is the best for frying eggs but they aren't going to be BIFL. That said, if you take care of a good one it should last you for years. The best value I have found is T-fal. Get whatever size is most appropriate for your cooking. I have had mine for about 5 years now. It says safe for metal utensils but I always use only plastic or wood on it. I also hand wash instead of using the dishwasher.

If you want truly BIFL, go for cast iron and make sure you season it well.

Now this is a conversation I can get in on.

Let's begin with my stainless steel measuring cups. I bake a lot so these are so useful. The 1/8 cup comes in so much more use than I ever imagined it would. And they're just so much nicer than plastic ones. I want to get a set of stainless steel measuring spoons but haven't yet.

Next, I would probably say my French Press. Coffee is important, and my French Press makes some delicious coffee.

I absolutely love this skillet. Works like magic.

I also recommend this 3 tier cooling rack to everyone. It's so useful and stores so well.

In the fall/winter I use my crock pot a whole lot. I also find having large mason jars to be useful for storing food, though I also have this tupperware.

Finally, my KitchenAid stand mixer. Self explanatory. It's fucking awesome. I just want to spend every waking moment putting it to good use and baking everything under the sun.

Let's do it in the kitchen.

I expect that a lot of people are going to comment this, but you really cant go wrong with the spyderco sharpmaker. It's the device I use on all my knives, great for beginners and intermediate collectors alike. It only takes a few tries to get the technique down, and there are ways to sharpen both straight edge (obviously) and serrations.

Once you start getting more into knives, some other great systems that I've been researching are the edgepro and the wicked edge. These will run you a lot more money- hundreds for the best wicked edge- but these are the kinds of sharpeners that the pros use to get ridiculously sharp edges on their knives.

There are a ton of excellent videos on youtube detailing how to use these products to get a great edge. Check out jdavis882 if you are interested in the edgepro.

Sorry for the ranting post. Hope you find what you're looking for, and tell us what you get and how you're liking it!

Rice cooker my friend! They're great and super easy. Just load it up with stuff like rice, lentils, beans and add some spices and you've got some really easy on the go food that can be made in your dorm. In a real hurry there's always nuts and fruit.

Like you say, dairy and eggs are just a habit you have and habits can be changed and replaced with new ones. If you're motivated to go vegan (which is awesome!) I recommend just trying to make some changes and see what works. Try a tofu scramble in the mornings super fast and super easy. And just keep trying different veggies and different fruits prepared different ways. You'll find there are so many great foods out there that given some time and experimentation going vegan can be a breeze!

Here are 4 things that I think will allow you to cook about 90% of everything you see on the internet.

A decent 8" kitchen knife. The Victorinox is a heavy lifter without breaking the bank.

A solid dutch oven. Here I recommend a Lodge, but Le Cruset is fantastic as well. A dutch oven allows you to do tons of one pot meals, braising, frying, soups, sauces, baking bread etc..

A 12" fry pan. This is for proteins, sauteing, all kinds of breakfast applications (eggs, homefries, shakshuka, etc).

A 3 qrt saucier. This one is pretty pricey, but you can get other good, cheaper options if you do a little research. This can double as a pot to boil water, make sauces, curries, and candy. A sauciers smooth sides are much easier to clean and can serve as a good compromise between a saucepan and a saute pan.

I've listed them in order of importance. A knife and a dutch oven can do a ton by themselves. I'd also recommend a pair of kitchen tongs, a handheld fine mesh strainer, and am immersion blender. In fact, I'd try to get those before the fry pan and the saucier, they open a lot of doors for you.

Please, for the love of god, cthulu or FSM, get a better pan. Personally i suggest cast iron. I know non-stick is appealing but you would really enjoy cooking on a nice, seasoned cast iron pan. They hold heat, cook evenly, don't add little bits of teflon. People like allclad or calphalon but for a lot of reasons I prefer cast iron. A great cast iron pan is maybe $20 new.

You are clearly a creative food lover. Take the next step.

I see you have a kitchen list and a baby list so here are two ideas:

Small veggie shape cutters for making fun finger foods and cute veggie soup. Free shiping.

Banana Slicer. I know it seems like a silly thing, but my eldest loves bananas but likes them sliced and this would be a time saver for sure. PRIME

For me, if I win:

Love this grey nail polish, only $4.90 with free shipping. Somehow grey feels a bit more grown up then pure black? I don't know, I covet it.

EDITED TO ADD: Doodlebug

Tried to think of a gifts in that price range.

• How about a Thermapen. It's a fantastic instant-read thermometer.
  
  
• Le Creuset Dutch Oven. We love this thing. Having said that, the price seems to have gone up from $200 to $240. Unknown if it's from holiday pricing or inflation.
  
  
• KitchenAid Blender. Not sure which model is best but any one should be awesome.
  
  
• Lodge Logic Cast Iron Skillet. One of the best buys we've ever made. Great pan, comes pre-seasoned, and AFFORDABLE!
  
  Oops, I just remember that America's Test Kitchen reviews products! Someone put together a list on Amazon of their 2012 Best products. See also one of their books.
  
  Note: Sometimes you can't view their content because it's behind their paywall.

Must Have Kitchenware:

• Measuring cups. Until you get better at "eyeballing", stick with measuring cups. Additionally, it gives you a good starting point if you see a recipe online or such.
  
  
• A rice cooker. This one (EDIT: I lied, I meant this one. For $7 more than the above one, it has a slow cooker function) doubles as a crock pot as well, if you're smart about it. Leave some veggies and let the rice go, easy meal. Which leads into the next point:
  
  
• A crock pot. If you want something more extravagant than rice and beans, try learning how to use a crock pot. It's easy to make ribs or pulled pork: just leave some bbq and pork in the pot and go to class. I know I had some trust issues leaving a kitchen appliance going for hours at a time, but once you get past that it's a life saver.
  
  

  Places to Shop:
  

  
  

• The Meat Lab (scroll down to the bottom). Great prices, and great quality. It's food right from the farms at school. As the name might suggest, you can get meat and eggs from there.
  
  
• Far East Grocery. Fave place to get my oriental groceries and everything you could ever want. It's cramped, very confusing, and has sketchy lighting-- reminds me of home.
  
  

  General Tips:
  

  
  

• Clean while you cook.
  
  
• Don't buy ramen because it's "the college kid food." One cup of (filling) ramen is ~$1, maybe 60c if you're lucky, or 40-60 bucks assuming you eat 2 meals a day. In comparison, 20lbs of rice is $10, and a month's veggies+potatoes+eggs is $15, and soy sauce is $5.
  
  With all of that, you can make a month's supply of some really damn good fried rice.
  
  
• When shopping for a recipe, write out what you need. Nothing sucks more than coming home and realizing you forgot turmeric.
  
  When I'm super lazy, here's my go-to meal-- Rice, salt and pepper, cumin, with a tomato sitting at the top, and maybe some carrots. I just toss them all in the rice cooker and watch some TV.

Alright, so the way to get from where you are now to this is to use a cast iron pot and follow Jim Lahey's directions here. Go to the library and get his book, both that one and the new My Pizza are awesome. The cast iron pot traps steam which combined with the high heats lets you get good 'spring' and a nice rich crispy crust. I've done this recipe with lots of diffent flours and they have much less of an effect on the overall outcome than good technique. It can be a bit scary handling a 500 degree cast iron pot but after a few attempts it gets pretty easy. A Lodge cast iron dutch oven like this will work great but I suggest replacing the knob on top with a metal version found here. Good luck!

Great video.

Growing up, I was lucky that my family owned a "high class" Le Creuset and I cooked with it often.

After college, when it came time to buy my own, I decided to buy the Lodge enameled cast iron off of amazon for ~$60 link.

In this video they talk about how the Le Creuset is best, but to be completely honest with you I cannot tell the difference. Both are great to cook with, and the enamel in both unfortunately got discolored with use. I imagine the warranty on the Le Creuset is better though.

Personally, I'd recommend the lodge (they recommend Cuisinart in the video). I'd assume both are a great value.

For the sweet tooth (like my dad, these are all things he likes):

• A candy jar or bowl filled with her favorite candy.
  
  
• An artisan ice cream scoop.
  
  
• An ice cream maker. You could get an ice cream recipe book as well.
  
  
• One of my dad's favorite gifts was a sugar dispenser... I think that shows his level of sugar commitment.
  
  
• Some artisan marshmallows.
  
  
• A milk frother that doubles as a hot chocolate maker.
  
  For the executive (like my mom, these are all things she likes):
  
  
• A high quality thermos for coffee on the way to work.
  
  
• A smart home setup, maybe an echo and some smart outlets or the google home. Really good for turning lights on/off, asking for the weather and news, listening to music, etc.
  
  
• A FitBit to help her keep healthy even working long hours.
  
  
• A popcorn maker that allows you to make non-microwaved popcorn in the microwave.
  
  
• A white noise machine. If she has any trouble sleeping this thing is AMAZING.
  
  
• A Roku or Chromecast that makes it easier to watch Netflix on the TV.
  
  
• Wine tasting or cooking class that you can do together. Really my mom loves doing stuff with her family.

I bought this one on amazon about a year ago and its pretty nice. "Walker Edison Soreno 3-Piece Corner Desk, Black with Black Glass" Its obviously glass and difficult to clean, i would recommend coasters if you buy it. But the price is good and its on sale right now. https://www.amazon.com/Walker-Edison-Soreno-3-Piece-Corner/dp/B001FB5LE8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1511995783&sr=8-4&keywords=desk

Personally if I could do it all over again I would have saved for a none L shaped regular or standing desk like Uplift. They are more durable, easier to clean, easier to move, and provides more long term space where you can actually sit at it and see everything using a keyboard without turning your chair to look at your other monitors. I have to move my chair or my neck to look at my third monitor so dont love it. But for the price I am extremely happy and will save for a really nice desk when I move into my house early next year.

I would highly recommend the victorinox as a first knife. It's a great knife and it's cheap. There are better knives in the world, but none I've met give you a better quality:money ratio. Learn with the victorinox - your first knife will take some abuse as you learn how to control it, and it's better to ding up a $30 knife than one that costs $100+.

Keeping your knife sharp is also a high priority. I would also recommend getting a knife sharpener like the Accusharp. You can run this over your knife a few times after each use and it will stay in top condition. This will take the guesswork out of sharpening. For a pricier knife, I wouldn't recommend actually sharpening a knife after every use since it takes off a tiny bit of metal each time, but the victorinox is cheap enough that this is not a major concern; you could sharpen it after every use for a few years before destroying the knife, which is more than enough time for you to learn knife skills.

Once you have more experience, you can buy a butcher's steel and a sharpening stone to perfect your sharpening technique which will be easier on your knife, and eventually you can splurge on a fantastic knife based on what feels comfortable to you. But starting off, the victorinox and the accusharp are a great, affordable kit that will put you leaps and bounds ahead of what most people actually have.

I have an Aeropress with a Hairo Skerton Slim grinder and can vouch that it's amazing. The Skerton was supposed to be skeleton but I think it's an Engrish typo thing. Also using 175 degree water helps with flavour. I use this kettle and am very happy with it. http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346697392&sr=8-1&keywords=cuisnart+kettle

Find a local coffee roaster/shop and ask them to show you the size of the grind to use for inverted Aeropressing. I do it for 2 minutes and the grind is more similar to a french press grind, maybe a tad smaller. I'm drinking it right now and it's delicious.

Also I remember seeing two sizes of the Hairo Skerton, I have the smaller size, the slim, and it's diameter is just a bit smaller than the Aeropress so it's easy to transfer the grounds into the chamber. I think the larger size would require the use of the Aeropress funnel but I could be wrong. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=Hairo+Skerton

Also, Make a small digital kitchen scale is useful to get the same amount of beans everytime. I personally use between 12-20g depending on what I'm in the mood for. The grounds usually go to the level 2 on the Skerton if that helps.

happy brewing!

edit: fresh beans from a roaster taste better to me. The stuff on the shelves at grocery stores are all stale. Starbucks beans are too burnt for my taste too.

Here's my advice since I literally just started a few weeks ago. This is exactly what I wished I knew before I spent money on random cigars from various sites.

1. Depending on how many sticks you plan on getting at a time, invest in a tuppedor. Don't waste your time with a wooden humidor (at least right now). I picked up these from amazon and all my ~40-50 sticks sit comfortably in there.
   

• Plastic "humidor"
  
• Hygrometer
  
• Boveda Packs, although I might lean towards the 65% next time. Also, you only need 1 pack in a tuppedor, 2 is overkill. They can also be recharged, so don't throw them away when they dry out.
  
  

2. If you have a nice brick and mortar tobacco store (not a hole in the wall place that caters only to e-cigs and accessories) near you, visit them and ask questions. If they are worth their salt, they should be fairly knowledgeable about cigars. They will point you in the right direction. I stupidly didn't do this and just kind of bought random shit online and have had mixed results with what I bought. The stuff I've bought at the store has been much, much fresher too. However, you will be spending 30-40% above what you'll pay online. I found it worth it for how much time and effort the staff spent helping me, but it is quite a bit more expensive.
   
   
3. If that's not an option, look for sampler packs online. You can find cheap options that include a bunch of different sticks so you can sample a variety. I would suggest looking at smallbatch mixes find a price you're comfortable with spending (30 to 40 should be plenty, maybe buy 2 of the $30 to $40 packs so you end with ~10 cigars) and in the comment section of your order mention that you're brand new to cigars. He should be able to make an excellent mix for a new smoker. Use code "rcigars" for 10% off (without the "", not sure if valid for the mix).
   
   
4. Also, if you don't come from a background of smoking cigarettes, stick with the mild to medium strength cigars. I smoked a few full strength ones from the samplers I got and they kicked my ass. It was unpleasant to say the least. If you DO plan on smoking a full strength cigar, smoke on a full stomach and drink something sweet with it. Sweet tea or a pop of some sort works well to quell the nicotine content.
   
   
5. Accessories. All you really need is a decent cutter and a torch lighter and you're all set.
   

• A cutter
  
• A butane lighter
  
• Fuel [Note, you can use cheaper fuel, but your lighter may get clogged with shitty zippo butane fuel.]
  
• Some sort of ashtray. You don't realize how nice it is to have one until you don't have one and have no place to rest your cigar.
  
  

6. If you do find a cigar you enjoy, try buying a 5 pack of it. Let it rest for a week or so and try them out over the course of a month or several months and see if you enjoy them as much as you did the first time. See if they get better with age. I have far too many 1 offs that I enjoyed, but would I still enjoy them a month from now? 2 months from now?
   
   
7. Oh, and generally stay away from infused cigars. They use shittier tobacco since they can mask it with flavors. The girlfriend still likes these, but I think she's starting to come around to a natural sweetness/chocolate taste instead of an artificially infused one. Plus they stink up your humidor and can potentially ruin the taste of your other cigars in them if they are in close contact.
   
   
8. Online sites that I've enjoyed purchasing from and ship quickly:
   

• http://store.cigarfederation.com/
  
• http://www.smallbatchcigar.com
  
• http://www.holts.com
  
• Stay away from Thompson Cigars. I've also had issues with jrcigars. They held my order for no reason and I had to contact them to ship it out. I ordered it over 10 days ago and still haven't seen anything, although it's supposed to be here on Tuesday.
  
  

9. Look up retrohaling. You'll taste more of your cigar this way. Warning, it does burn the hell out of your nose the first handful of times you do it. Start with a mild cigar instead of a full strength one like I stupidly decided to do. :P
   
   Hopefully this helps.
   
   Edit: Many edits to fix errors and add additional info.

I'll just list everything that I can, how's that?

The bakers rack on the left is This

The left most skillet is an AUS-ION
They're made in Australia and so smooth. Some nice touches of the piece are the very detailed cut-out of Australia on the handle and another nice engraving on the bottom.

Then there's the Stargazer. My first expensive piece. It's also very smooth. It's had a hard time keeping its seasoning, and I've admittedly been babying it by seasoning and seasoning it with flaxseed oil and a Crisbee puck.

Then there is the Finex group. It starts with the 10" grill pan. Then there's the 12" and 8". I just love the different geometric shapes of them.

All the way to the right is the Lodge Sauce Pot

I haven't used it a whole lot other than to make a few dips.

Between the big hanging skillets are some Lodge 4" and 5" skillets that I thought just looked cool and rounded out my collection.

The griddle is just a double sided griddle from world market. It's my go to pancake tool.

Then there is an A1 Chef pizza pan that I honestly don't use very much. I tend to just use some cheap aluminum pans with holes on the bottom because they're easier to form the crust on.

On the middle shelf from left to right are my 10" and 12" lodges. The 10" was my very first cast iron skillet. They've both been stripped and reseasoned and are much smoother than factory. I don't see myself giving up my first two skillets. I still use them a lot.

In the middle is the 10" grill pan from Lodge. I honestly hate cleaning the grill pans and have found that the lines in the meat aren't really worth the scraping. There's also some cheap fajita skillet that I don't think I've ever used.

And on the right is the Lodge enameled dutch oven but in the light grey. I love this thing, and got it for a song on Amazon one day.

On the bottom shelf on the left is the Lodge Wok I have definintely not used it. It seems like it would be better on a gas range, which I don't have. This was an impulse buy, and I don't know how to really cook any asian food, so who knows.

Then last but not least is the regular Lodge Dutch Oven
Many a roast has been made in this. The drip spikes on top does the basting for you. I just got a sous vide setup, so I'll probably be using it less and less, but sometimes I know I'll want the smell of a roast wafting through the air all day on a cold Autumn day.

Bonus pieces Kitchenaid Stainless Steel cookware set on top with All clad non-stick pans to the right of those.

Then there are some Lodge Stonewear on the other bakers rack

Hey fellow Angelino welcome! That's not a bad buy for that price especially for a starter set. The sticks are just to help you get your feet wet there are a few in there that are decent for beginners. I can't say much about the humidor but usually when they combine them in a cheap set like that they aren't the best quality. If you don't care for aesthetics I would recommend getting a tupperdor and throwing in there some 65 RH bovedas. You just stick the cigars in there and a boveda or two and you are golden! Also check out r/cigarmarket for future buys it's a great place if you are looking to get samplers at a great price people will help hook you up!

Hope you enjoy your stay!

P.S. What school do you go to?

As the others said, yeah.

Couple things to keep in mind:

1. Cast iron is crap at conducting heat. If you try cooking steaks without thoroughly preheating the pan, you are going to get hot spots over where the burner ring is, but the rest of the pan won't be hot enough to get a good sear. Put a drop of water in the pan, if it sizzles and disappears in about a second, you're good.
   
   The upside is that cast iron is great at retaining heat, so popping a big cold steak in it won't cool it off too much. This really gives that good sear.
   
   
2. I tend to disagree about leaving it alone, I do the regular flip + baste method, which tends to be faster and more even. Though the one flip method can absolutely make great steak.
   
   
3. Temp, temp, temp. It is so much easier to cook to the right doneness with a good instant-read thermometer. If you're dedicated, yes, the $80 Thermapen really is great, but this $15 one is fine.

I haven't purchased a lot from TNT, but I think you'd probably be better served buying some name brand sticks you'll be able to get in the future. TNT isn't really well known for high quality cigars. If it's between those two options, definitely grab some sticks from Shad. Lots of other good places as well, with name brand sticks.

As for the Humidor, honestly, wood Humidors are more trouble than theyre worth. Grab a gasketed Tupperware like this as well as some 65% Boveda packs and you'll be in great shape. These will keep your cigars in perfect shape, with the least amount of maintenance.

okay, so... as far as cheap sharpening goes, stay away from pull thru sharpeners they give a mediocre edge and take years off the steel.
a cheap-ish way is to get a stone but learning to free hand sharpen is a pain and can take years to truly get the hang of. also chosing grits and a good stone that wont crumble and scratch the shit out of your knife.

you can get a lansky for 35-40$

or you can get a spyderco sharpmaker for 50-60$

i use one of these for rough stuff, really bad edges and reprofiling. i would recommend this because if you arent going to be sharpening often and dont need a razor edge itll be fine.

a good strop can get expensive but honestly you can just pick one for 15-20$ and some buffing compound for 3-10$

you can also use one of these to get a mirror edge, closer to finishing, freehand sharpening again has a larger learning curve, practice on a crappy knife. seriously. you will fuck up at first. you should see my first knife, gross...

if you decide in the freedom of freehand sharpening, check out atomedges guide in the sidebar. pretty helpful.

JrDot13 is right. Once coffee is ground up, it starts to lose its freshness right away. Starting with whole bean and grinding it is the way to go. I too, started with a small and cheap Mr. Coffee blade grinder. It simply does not grind consistent enough and there really isn't a way to control it at all. I know lots of people are recommending the Capresso Infinity Grinder as an entry level grinder that gets the job done pretty well. I was on the fence about either the Capresso or a refurbished Baratza Virtuoso. Keep an eye out on Baratza's website on Thursdays (I think. Someone correct me if I'm wrong). On Thursdays Baratza updates their refurbished page. I ended up with the Baratza and I absolutely love it. I've had it for a year now and it's great. Personally I've never used the grinder in the stores so I can't say I know how good they are. But if you find a solid local roaster they'll grind coffee for you when you purchase a bag of beans.

Another option that you might want to consider is buying a vacuum sealed container and having the store/local coffee shop grind the beans for you and then just keep it in that container. I understand that money might be tight and getting the most out of your coffee can cost a bit more than someone might have. Something like this container has some pretty good reviews on amazon. The only downside to that is you're only going to be able to keep it at one grind versus having the flexibility to grind it as you please for whichever method you're using. But it sounds like your family is going to stick to using the Kuerig so one grind size won't be too bad.

I bought this one.


GermGuardian AC4825 3-in-1 Air Purifier with True HEPA Filter, UV-C Sanitizer, Captures Allergens, Smoke, Odors, Mold, Dust, Germs, Pets, Smokers, 22-Inch Germ Guardian Air Purifier https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B004VGIGVY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XjhGAb7WD79N2


It has 3 fan settings. I keep it on 3 (2 is ok, but 1 is super quiet) as it's a fantastic white noise machine!


The hepa filter is replaceable, and so is the carbon filter. You don't need to use the UV setting. I did until it expired (UV bulbs typically stop producing uv radiation after 12mth from being turned on . I'm not replacing the bulb.


I buy the generic hepa filter now, as I'm cheap lol it's still catching a ton of dust. I use a good quality of filter (I buy in bulk on Amazon for a huge savings) in my furnace, so them combined do a great job. I don't have crazy dust issues at all. My allergies don't bother me anymore when inside.

Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food is a great primer on the science of cooking. I read it in culinary school, and it was a great distillation of the main concepts (which cuts are of meat are good for braising, searing, roasting, etc. and how to properly perform each technique). If you end up enjoying Alton Brown's style, I would also recommend Fish on a First Name Basis for fish cookery. Lastly, Cook's Illustrated is a wonderful resource on food and cooking. The yearly online membership is only approx $25, and you get access to all previously published recipes and equipment reviews.

In terms of equipment, the knife I personally use is the Victorinox 10-inch chef knife. Japanese steel is great and all, but for the same price you could get this knife, a good electric knife sharpener, and a honing steel and still have some left over. The best knife is a sharp knife after all. I would also highly recommend a T-fal non-stick pan for a solid multi-purpose first pan.

Finally, for an herb garden, I generally try to aim for either expensive or infrequently used herbs for indoor gardening. The reasoning behind growing expensive herbs is pretty straightforward. I primarily grow infrequently used herbs to avoid wasting what I wouldn't use up when cooking (as you mentioned is oft a problem). In my region, basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, and oregano would all be good candidates to grow. Parsley, cilantro, and bay leaf tend to be cheaper at the market in my area, so I usually just purchase those.

You're probably better off not getting a set (there are usually a few nice pieces you want and a bunch you don't), but they can be a decent way to save some cash. Cooks Illustrated has great cookware reviews and tend to like All Clad a lot (money no object I agree, but shit it's a lot of money). They recommend a Calphalon set that is pretty reasonably priced and I know they make good stuff. But besides that, I'd definitely get some cast iron into the mix. Both a skillet and a glazed dutch oven. Two of my favorite pans right there.

I picked up the Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder from Amazon for less than $100, and I'm pleased with it. I'm sure someone in here will school me and tell me why it's not acceptable for grinding both espresso and french press coffee, but I do it and I like it. It has a nice consistant grind that goes from very coarse to very fine, and it suits my needs. I'd say it's a nice introductory electric burr grinder for someone interested in making good coffee. Once this one bites the dust, I'm sure I'll upgrade to something fancier, but for now it works great for me.

My apartment kitchen has the three prongs. I'll check tonight if it works with two prongs + adapter.

It depends on when you plan on buying that espresso machine and how often you plan on using it. Back in the US, I had an aeropress, a moka pot, a chemex, and an espresso machine. I would say that about 90% of the time, I used an aeropress.

My recommendation would be to buy this grinder: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AR7SY/ref=pe_2313390_216827310_em_ti

That works perfectly fine for everything except espresso. For an espresso machine, you will need to be spend the money and buy the Virtuoso. The Capresso just doesn't have the ability to grind the beans finely enough for espresso applications.

At the end of the day, it's all up to you, but I think that it would be better to start small and expand the coffee setup later. Plus, when you are ready for an espresso machine, you will love having two separate grinders. Otherwise you would be spending a good amount of beans (expensive) and a bunch of time fine tuning the grinder for the perfect espresso shots every time you swap between different modes of coffee.

Wait, Home Depot sells homebrewing specific items? Awesome! And congrats on the first brew, looks great. Welcome to the addiction!

Edit: for the thermometer, I highly recommend a Javelin or Javelin Pro. Great thermometer and significantly cheaper than the competition. You'll find other folks on here singing their praises as well. I love mine.

I have, maybe six, pans I use for 90%+ of my cooking:

1. 12" All-Clad stainless skillet - perfect all-purpose fry pan. Steak, chops, pasta sauces, pan roasting, sauteing, you name it, this pan does it well. $89 from Amazon is a steal!
   
2. 6qt Lodge Dutch Oven - braising, soups, stews, for the price it's well worth it, though I'm not sure how long it'll hold up.
   
3. 3.5qt non-stick Calphalon sauce pot - great for making sauces, boxed macaroni and cheese, steaming veggies, etc... Very versatile, could easily be stainless too, I just happened to be given non-stick.
   
4. 2qt All-Clad stainless sauce pan - great for sauces (duh) and all kinds of other stuff, super versatile.
   
5. 12" Nordic Ware non-stick skillet - non-stick pans should be treated as "disposable". I replace mine every 12-18 months. Nordic Ware is cheap, and well designed. Handle can take enough heat that you can put it in a sub-375F oven and it won't melt, if you care about that. Mine is most often used for Sunday morning fritatas, finishing pasta in a sauce, and egg things.
   
6. 12" Nordic Ware Stock pot (and a lid) - Gotta have a stock pot, and for the price this one is fantastic!
   
   Runners up - stuff I use enough that I'm glad I have them, but if I didn't wouldn't really notice:
   
   
7. 8" Nordic Ware non-stick skillet - awesome for making omelets, roux, etc...
   
8. Stainless saute pan - really big, flat bottom, straight sides, with long handle, and a loop on the opposite side. It looks a lot like the All-Clad 3qt saute pan, but it was a hand-me-down and definitely isn't all-clad. It's great for braising or when you just need a ton of pan space.
   
9. Calphalon 11" griddle pan - when I need me some french toast or pancakes!

Hello! Welcome and thanks for coming out of the shadows! My first thought when reading this is that you might need a different vendor. In the 3 vendors I've tried, only 1 sent me 4 AWESOME strains, 1 vendor had 2/6 good strains and another was 3/4. So I literally have sample bags of Kratom that does nothing for me. It's unfortunate but true, you'll have to shop around a little to find what works best and doesn't have any undesirable effects.

Stay hydrated. Get this scale when you can but for now just be vigilant with those packed and leveled, not heaped, measuring teaspoons.

Try potentiating your Kratom. Mix it in grapefruit juice and drink it. Might make a difference. Do you ever experience low blood sugar? Kratom suppresses appetite for some, not all. Maybe by the time you're coming down, your blood sugar is getting low. Maybe you'd be the type of person to benefit from a snack 30 minutes - 1 hour in, or even better, a snack when you feel like it's wearing off.

Ideally you should get energy and a mood lift, so I'm confused about your effects. Also, have you ever taken any other drugs before? Do you have anything to compare this experience to?

The King 1000/6000 stone is all you need to get started. The 1000 is coarse enough that you can fix chips in a reasonable amount of time, and the 6000 is fine enough to get a shaving-sharp edge. You don't need a stone holder, a damp kitchen towel will do. You don't even need a nagura. Look up Murray Carter on YouTube—he's a really cool knife maker who uses 1000 and 6000 King stones on his crazy-expensive hand-forged knives. He's got a nice way of rigging up a sharpening station over your sink with a 2x4, although I just use a cutting board that happens to fit nicely in my sink. Carter's videos are more geared toward traditional Japanese knives, so I wouldn't use his exact technique, but his equipment setup is inexpensive and easy to use. Anyway, learn how to use the 1000/6000 to get a shaving-sharp edge (Carter calls it "scary sharp") and you can move on from there to more exotic gear.

All that said, I don't know if whetstones are the best choice for most people. If you really want to get into it for fun, by all means, go nuts. It's a nice relaxing ritual and you can get incredible results if you're willing to put in the time to practice. But if you're only interested in having a reasonably-sharp knife, then there are better options that can get you there with less fuss. A decent two-stage pull-through sharpener (i.e., one with two slots) will get you a knife that can slice paper and cut onions just fine. It won't shave your arm or slice ribbons of newspaper, but it's totally usable. I have a Wusthof one that cost about $30 but it seems Amazon has some higher-rated choices for the same money. They even have a single-stage sharpener that people rave about for $10.

A lot of people are going to recommend the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I don't have one yet but I will be picking one up shortly, based on all the stellar reviews it gets. Supposedly it's a very versatile and effective system, especially for beginners. Something like this would be good to start with, and can be your go-to sharpening system. Meanwhile, do some research on sharpening stones and techniques (tons on YouTube) and eventually you can learn to sharpen freehand and do reprofiling if you need to. Reprofiling just means changing the angle or grind of the edge bevels. People will often do this to tweak the peformance of their knives (thin the edge for better slicing, thicken the edge for chopping, etc). It's not something you will likely need or want to do right away. Better to get some experience in basic sharpening first. Hope this helps, good luck.

Hahaha bunk police is about reagent testing. Its more for powders and pills. Actually I don't know if you can reagent test shrooms but my first thought would be probably not. Honestly I've always just trusted my shrooms were psilocybin and they've always been psychedelic (at different potencies). As far as scales go for something like shrooms you probably won't weigh out less than a gram. something like this would be more than fine.

Good Luck, my first mushroom trip was way fucking intense, I'd definitely recommend less than an 1/8th for your first time.

I'm sure she already has basic nursing necessities...the three things I absolutely must have at work are:

• Lotion...I love lotion especially with all the hand washing we do, good lotion is a must. I've gone through several and my favorite two are:
  Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Lotion OR
  L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
  
  
• Water bottle and coffee tumbler
  Water: [nalgene 1L water bottle] (http://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-Tritan-BPA-Free-Bottle-1-Quart/dp/B001N86A8E/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1396814263&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=nalgene+water+bottle+1L)
  
• coffee thermos: Zojirushi Stainless Thermal Mug AMAZING (but also pricey) but it keeps my coffee or tea hot for HOURS...my coffee is even hot during lunch time when I filled it early in the morning.
  
  You can also give gift cards to your local coffee shop and like others mentioned, a gift card/certificate for a massage! I'm sure whatever you decide to give will mean a lot to her :)
  
  
  

I have a basic arkansas stone that works very well at what it does... but I'm not necessarily a pro at what I do. Hand sharpening on a stone requires you to hold the knife at a very constant angle while working it through a relatively complex motion. Very difficult to get a good edge but if you practice and get the skills it's the cheapest and most versatile method of sharpening. Most people (definitely myself included) also need a decent preexisting edge to sharpen as they can 'set' the knife on that flat. Much harder if the existing edge is crap.

What I have for quick and dirty sharpening is a Lansky set. A bracket clamps to the knife and holds a rod (attached to the stone) at essentially a constant angle to the blade. It has some issues so I don't use it on the knives I really care about but it's good for really quickly bringing a beat knife back to a decently usable edge. I use my Lansky set on kitchen knives.

However, if you're willing to spend a bit more money, the Spyderco Sharpmaker is a very well reviewed product. I suppose this is my 'Everest' tip as I don't actually have one but I'll buy one eventually, when I have a particularly profitable feeling month. The idea here is that it's much easier to hold a knife vertical than at some obscure angle like 27 degrees. The put the sharpening stone on the angle then essentially do a 'chopping' motion along the stone to bring an edge in. It solves a lot of the problems of the Lansky but doesn't require as much skill as just a stone. These are rather well regarded in the knife community, though those guys still go after hand sharpening.

1.) [Something that is grey.] (http://www.amazon.com/PetFusion-SmartGrip-Litter-Gray-Twist/dp/B007SQFRMU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=35DW5BWHD972D&coliid=I38TYTP3QO3VYV)

2.) [Something reminiscent of rain.] (http://www.amazon.com/Musical-MP-200-8-Inch-Rainmaker-Shaker/dp/B000CBURPU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=I3SD8BF3BVM32F)

3.) [Something food related that is unusual.] (http://www.amazon.com/Nut-Milk-Bag-New-Improved/dp/B00158U8DU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3S72V8PR4PYO1&coliid=I2AH1R1GSQ52JT)

4.) [Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!)] (http://www.amazon.com/Mommys-Helper-Car-Seat-Shade/dp/B00125NZSQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=I1TXQG28XXBC0I) For my daughter, so she doesn't melt in the car.

5.) [A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Left-Behind-ebook/dp/B00BSY6U6K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=ZJTYBG9S817P&coliid=I13JIN1E80H7G) Well, I haven't read this one yet, but I read her last book, Me Before You, a few months ago and LOVED it.


6.) [An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!] (http://www.amazon.com/Home/dp/B002G690B6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=LVUGPBTDLHFS&coliid=I2V27LFTC98I6K)

7.) [Something related to cats.] (http://www.amazon.com/Da-Bird-Cat-Toy-Store/dp/B000F9JJJE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=35DW5BWHD972D&coliid=I32WEJ4UV0RR)

8.) [Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it.] (http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Colorful-Rainbow-Synthetic-Costume/dp/B00966CIAO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=VF4I3JWXLPHE&coliid=I3J6CNZ64SMNW5)

9.) [A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?]
(http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Restored-Edition-Colin/dp/B00364K6YW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=ZJTYBG9S817P&coliid=I2JAGS8BIXE6M9) Because Colin Firth.

10.) [Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.] (http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-12-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3S72V8PR4PYO1&coliid=I14266M2SVKSXM) Well, if I had to survive on my WL items alone, I would surely die. BUT, I figure this could at least come in handy to cook over open fires and it is the most weapon-like thing on my list.

11.) [Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.] (http://www.amazon.com/Reebok-Kettlebell-10-Pounds-Lime-Green/dp/B008R5HY54/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=39MD4F4AQ4MXM&coliid=I2XGPU1DE4SJW5&psc=1) Gotta get off the baby weight!

12.) [One of those pesky Add-On items.] (http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-Plastic-Egg-Mold-Fish/dp/B002TZ04JG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=LVUGPBTDLHFS&coliid=I2PHEI57WW2PIY)

13.) [The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?] (http://www.amazon.com/Burley-Encore-2013-Bike-Trailer/dp/B00AVUHUEI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=I15NA2PJZUXBY4&psc=1) Maybe not my dream item, but the most expensive for sure. My husband and I love biking, but right now I'm sidelined since we have a 1 year old. This would let us all go!

14.) [Something bigger than a bread box.] (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Condo-Furniture-Scratch-House/dp/B003XLIVZ4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=35DW5BWHD972D&coliid=I33YA670HLM8GP)

15.) [Something smaller than a golf ball.] (http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Gold-Peridot-Dangle-Earrings/dp/B001H54K4O/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=24R3M5GIPRKSE&coliid=I25YHXC05Q9VTT)

16.) [Something that smells wonderful.] (http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Forte-Loose-Leaf-Canister/dp/B006TZFOVU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=28JN11TB2DHP4&coliid=I3P4PBFBU5HWL6)

17.) [A (SFW) toy.] (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Little-People-Friends-Exclusive/dp/B008ZUGOAW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=IIMNWL3OA8808)

18.) [Something that would be helpful for going back to school.] (http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-2109-0309-Ultimate-Professional-Decorating/dp/B008GXE7P2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=29KYW0DBB8ME2&coliid=INH34JY48VH4F) If you are going to school to become a baker.

19.) [Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.] (http://www.amazon.com/Blendtec-40-620-54-Twister-Jar/dp/B0087Q1T1S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=29KYW0DBB8ME2&coliid=I394DCB2QJ4RAZ) Making my own sprouted nut butters!!

20.) [Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.]
(http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Friends-Wheelies/dp/B00650F5SG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=I3RS9BP4QYQAC7) Because tiny Super Friends in cars are awesome for raising a baby nerd. (On a related note, this question made me realize that I am boring and practical.)


fear cuts deeper than swords

I'm going to argue that what I'm about to suggest isn't against the spirit of BIFL:

You need a good non-stick pan, and you need to replace it every 1-3 years. Teflon is considered safe when not overheated. Use a turner designed for non-stick surfaces, simply rinse the pan with a warm sponge or cloth (no abbrassive), and generally be nice to it, it'll last perfectly fine. You don't need to add butter or spray to a non-stick pan. Heat it up and let the pan do the work. I further extend the life of mine by only using it for eggs and cheesy dishes, basically. The stainless does all the rest of the work.

Nonsticks are disposable over the course of a few years, so don't go buy a crazy expensive one. This is the one I have, and I'm perfectly happy with it. You can explore annodized non-stick, but from what I've seen, it's not quite as good.

I'd actually personally make the argument that I've never seen a truly nonstick cast iron pan. But Shinytile, I cook eggs in mine all the time! Yeah, post a video. Literally every single person I've seen make that claim uses like 1/3 stick of butter for two eggs. That's frying the egg in oil, different game. I use literally zero spray / butter / oil in my egg pan, and I get a perfect release every time.

So that's my vote. Buy a nice non stick, treat it well, and use it for the next few years. That's like $7 / year.

im not sure if it does international but ive had a good experience with 'brothers with glass' as for rolling papers and grinders and some of the other non smoking related equipment you might want go to amazon, i get all my papers on amazon and its super cheap and awesome, i reccomend raw papers, and heres the grinder i use, its pretty good.

Is your grinder a blade grinder? If it is a burr grinder will be a big improvement. But regardless try a different Brewer. If you're strapped for cash get a cheap pour over Brewer like this Melitta with that you can boil your water and control the temperature better than what the machine will do. I would recommend a thermometer of some sort but it's not 100% necessary. The Melitta was my first coffee Brewer and I still use it from time to time. A Chemex would be a bigger improvement but there no reason to go all out at first. Start small and get your technique down before you put money into something bigger.

A scale is also a big improvement so you can accurately weigh the beans and the water you're using. I bought a $20 scale from the grocery store and it's been kicking for a few years now. I would honestly say that a scale is more important then the thermometer but that's just my opinion. I'm a fan of accuracy.

Keep reading through this sub and you'll find all kinds of good advice. Have fun!

I'd caution against getting a 60ml unless you're sure you want one - a 60ml nominal gaiwan is gonna produce 30-40ml of tea per steep, basically one tiny (eggcup-sized) cup. The can also lose heat faster than is desirable for teas that work well with boiling water. 90-120ml would be my recommendation, and you can stack 3-4 steeps to get your 8oz.

If you decide you want a scale, this is the one that basically everyone has. You can go the 100g if you want more resolution, but the 600g allows you to weigh directly into heavier brewing vessels, and measure the amount of water you pour in if desired (which can be useful in some circumstances). The 1kg isn't as accurate as is desirable, imho.

Oh, one other thing I forgot; water matters. That's not to say you have to use bottled water for tea, but if you have a filter or dispenser in addition to tap water, it's good to try each with whatever kind of teas you like and see which works best. It's crazy how much the mineral profile of the water can affect the way the tea extracts, tastes and feels.

Good luck!

Like the other commenter said, tupperware containers provide very good seals. You want one with a gasket.

Sistema KLIP IT Rectangular Collection Food Storage Container,236 Oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00284AG5U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3edTDbM9D4P5G are pretty popular and they almost exactly fit two spanish cedar trays that you can also find on Amazon. The trays arent required, but look and smell nice. That will fit two boxes of cigars, so say 30-50 loose ones

Boveda packs are little packets that absorb or release moisture to bring the air to its stated humidity level. They are very widely used in humidors, especially tuperware. A 65% pack or two and you're good to go.

For like 20-30 bucks you can have a setup that will preserve cigars for years. Just keep it in a cool area of your house like the basement. I think 65-70 degrees is ideal.

Hygrometers will report the temp and humidty. You can get an electronic one off amazon for like 10 dollars. Its not required as I've never heard a boveda pack failing.

Grinder

I actually bought that grinder...works well. Better than my old one for sure.

Badass Grinder

Not sure if this one is any good but its pretty sweet looking and its got a good rating.

Scale

I can't find the actual scale I bought from amazon but this one looks pretty good for about the same price.

A perfect chef's knife is the first place to start (that's my preference, the Wusthof Ikon Classic 8", $160). Go to a kitchen supply store, or even Bed Bath & Beyond, and test drive some steel - see how comfortable it is in your hand, how balanced it feels. If you want to save money for other things, you can't go wrong with the Victorionx Fibrox 8" chef's knife, at an extremely reasonable $40. The chef's knife is an impossibly versatile tool all on its own, but if you want a smaller knife for detailed work, grab a paring knife from whatever manufacturer you choose for your chef's.

A huge, heavy cutting board ($88). For most of my life, I went with the $20 3-packs of plastic OXO or other cutting boards, ranging from small to extremely small - nothing will slow down your cooking more than an inadequately sized cutting board. Things roll off, you pile up your chopped veg and run out of space, you feel constantly crowded, and you can never carve a whole chicken or roast. Buy a piece of non-slip material (usually used for carpets) ($9), place it under the cutting board when you use it, and it will never slip or slide around - more convenient and safe.

A Thermapen. Expensive - it's $100, but it's the fastest and most accurate kitchen thermometer money can buy. A less expensive alternative would be the Lavatools Javelin at $24 - not quite as good, but a damn sight better than any other digital food thermometer you'll get your hands on. This is essential for cooking any meat, deep frying, baking - it will change your game.

An All-Clad Sauté Pan ($129). Also expensive, but an absolute essential tool for everything from sautéing to braising to deep frying. Do not go cheap with your stainless - you can do cheaper than All-Clad, but even heating, comfort, and build quality are absolutely essential.

An inexpensive but awesome nonstick set($164 for 11 pcs). Alternately, you could get a very versatile 12" TFal Professional Total Nonstick, an impossibly stickless, oven safe, dishwasher safe wunderkind.

A 12" Cast Iron Skillet ($34). These are kind of a pain to take care of, but are invaluable for searing, baking, even serving. It'll last you a lifetime if you take care of it.

I haven't had this issue with vapor specifically, but the combination of two cats and occasional indoor smoke had us waking up congested and vacuuming/dusting all the time from the overall poor air quality. I picked up a HEPA type air filter which does an amazing job since it picks up anything 3 microns or bigger. It keeps our air clear and smelling fresh even while we vape heavily, so it may help you as well. It also does a great job of reducing dust and pet debris if that's a concern for you.

Does anyone have a reliable figure as to the size of vapor particles? That may help you see if this will work, since I believe most devices made specifically to clear vapor from the air work the same way.

This is the device we have:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VGIGVY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_nT3Dzb2MCTBJV

You could make a sourdough starter. It'll take about 1-2 weeks so hopefully if you start now it'll be ready once you need it. You can follow these directions: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/7-easy-steps-making-incredible-sourdough-starter-scratch/ That starter has a higher percentage of water than FWSY's, but you can just switch to the feeding method in the book once the starter becomes active.

You could also make sure you have all the supplies necessary. At a minimum you'll want:

• kitchen scale: A recipe weighs about 1800g, plus the mixing bowl, so make sure the scale goes that high. https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Stainless-Pull-Out-Display-11-Pound/dp/B000WJMTNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510750&sr=8-1&keywords=oxo+scale
  
• dutch oven: The book recommends 4 qts. I've had success with 3.2 qt combo cookers. Two dutch ovens would be even better as all the recipes are for 2 loaves. https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Cooker-Pre-Seasoned-3-2-Quart/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510707&sr=8-1&keywords=combo+cooker
  
• thermometer: Ken Forkish is very particular about the temperatures in his recipes. https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-PT12-Javelin-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510838&sr=8-2&keywords=pen+thermometer
  
  Nice to haves:
  
  
• Banneton proofing baskets: You need something to put your dough in as it rises. In a pinch, a mixing bowl will work. Banneton baskets are purpose made for this. I use an 8". The ones I've bought are no longer sold on amazon, but I suspect any 8" to 9" round basket will do. Heres one: https://www.amazon.com/Forsun-Banneton-Brotform-Proofing-Rising/dp/B01CNV40D6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1482511260&sr=8-4&keywords=banneton+proofing+basket
  
• Big tubs for mixing: Most mixing bowls are frustratingly shallow for 1800g recipes. He recommends these in the book. They're pricey, but they do work well: https://www.amazon.com/Camwear-Polycarbonate-Round-Storage-container/dp/B000KIE73I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1482511122&sr=8-5&keywords=12+qt+cambro https://www.amazon.com/Cambro-RFSCWC12135-Lid-Round-Container/dp/B0001MRULO/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NNK0EN78A5YB6WWHQDRK
  
  Note that he has a section in the book on equipment, so you could wait to read that before spending money, but all the items linked above have worked well for me.

I do, and it’s SUPER easy. I bought a [Toddy Cold Brew System] (www.amazon.com/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_fxKkDbMPE83QH) from Amazon and use that. It has instructions and everything. But basically, I grind 6oz (half a bag) and add it to the brewer with 3.5 cups of water. I let it set (steep or brew, if you will) for about 24hrs. Then drain it, add it to my storage bottle and pop it into the fridge. It lasts 7-10 days, having a 16oz coffee every morning. It’s a concentrate, so you then pour some to your cup, add water and ice. I dont have an exact measurement, as I eyeball the pour. But it’s probably around a 1/4 cup of concentrate? It’s up
To your tastes and how strong you prefer it.

In a pinch, I’ve done it in a mason jar and then Strained through cheese cloth and then a coffee filter. But it’s messier and I don’t like it as much. I love my Toddy system!

Another important factor is finding a coffee bean that you like. I personally find I prefer a medium-dark Roast. I tried various roasts and “flavors” until I found a blend I liked best!

you can get a basic, china made, very cheap 4 piece (top, grinder, grinds catcher, kief catch) aluminum grinder on amazon for like $5. i'd say get that until you know any better.

http://smile.amazon.com/Piece-STYLE-Tobacco-Pollen-Grinder/dp/B0023X32MA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408498410&sr=8-1&keywords=herb+grinder

i do wish it was a little bigger, when i'm grinding up a bunch to fill a bunch of my PnP chambers, i have to fill it back up a few times with stuff to grind, then empty it out and go again.

as far as vapes, since you aren't worried about stealth, i would say actually take a look at the hammer vape. people have said it's similar to a log dekstop vape. we seem to be in love with log vapes like the enano.

the hammer uses a butane flame to heat some pieces of metal. you suck air in over the metal and it blows over your weed, vaporizing all the good stuff.

they are an interesting idea because you can get a butane refill for under $10 and carry it with you. that is enough fuel to do hundreds of bowls. where as the best battery powered vapes would probably get you 5 full bowls, at best.

along those same lines are the lotus. that one is just the chamber, you have to use your own lighter with it. the downside though is they aren't digital, so you can't just press one button and go. you have to let it heat up then inhale at a certain speed. for digital ones, just set to desired level, let it heat, and go to town.

TO ALL NOOBS looking to build a tupperdore. Or seasoned guys looking to build yet another: [Here is a great piece of tupperware](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OW0Y000/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1] on amazon. I recently got it and I couldn't be happier. Great size, great seal, and even has a moisture tray (I just put my boveda packs under that).

Here's a great Humidity/temp gauge

For humidity, Boveda packs are the way to go. A lot of the guys here suggest 65% humidity. Mine is at 69% but I may cut back, we'll see.

Also smoke a Drew Estate - Undercrown. Medium bodied cigar with great flavors and a really nice sweet taste throughout. (Sorry if you've seen me say this many times, it's a great cigar haha)

EDIT Here's another, cheaper tupperware option suggested by /u/nicknameisnub

fac ut guadeam

my favorite hobby by far is definitely drawing. I really love anything to do with art (painting, sculpting, etc) but my real passion is to draw. Usually I'll get an idea in my head of what I want to do and proceed to tell myself that it's too difficult and will come out like crap. This leads me to feeling like its coming out crappy the entire time. Then I look at the finished product and I'm usually very pleased and proud of myself. haha weird I know. If I win this please
thank you for the contest. ps- what does the phrase mean?

I bought a Thermapen and I love it. But back when I was living with my folks, my mom also really liked using it from time to time. For Christmas I bought her a Lavatools Javelin because it was cheaper but still looked good. I also found that I liked that thermometer as well. Plus, it has a magnetic back so it hangs out on the fridge, so I found that more often than not I was reaching for it instead.

Again, I love my thermapen, and it's absolutely worth its price, but for those balking at the cost, that $25 Javelin is a really good buy.

Don't even worry about it. But since you got rid of the pan that sucked, get this one instead: http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Thermo-Spot-Indicator-Dishwasher/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1416599057&sr=1-1&keywords=t-fal+professional+non-stick Yes, totally recommended by America's Test Kitchen but also, totally recommended by my DH who makes me awesome eggs most mornings. How much does he love this pan? I am not sure the comments field is big enough, but it's $26 and it is so awesome, we have the 8" version for small stuff as well.... and we don't even like non-stick for anything else these days, we are pretty much All-Clad stainless snobs. (Except for my T-fal stock pot, because that is also the shitznit.) Seriously, be kind to yourself. Eggs are great for her, so make it easy on yourself.

This is the thermometer that usually comes up in discussions of bang-for-buck value: https://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X-ProAccurate-Quick-Read-Thermometer-NSF/dp/B0021AEAG2

There are reasons why chilling quickly is important (protein break for clearer finished beer, reduced risk of infection, DMS concerns if you're doing all-grain), but for the most part, it won't change the way your beer tastes.

The exact same wort fermented with the same yeast at different temperatures will taste different. Depending on the wort and the yeast and the temperatures, it might not be that different, but the typical ale fermentation temperature range is lower than you want to keep your house. Fermentation creates heat, as well, so if your house is at 68, there's a good chance your beer is cranking away at 76 or 78, which is a great way to get something that tastes like rubbing alcohol and banana Laffy Taffy.

I still recommend getting a wort chiller, but the biggest improvement in the quality of your beer will come from controlling fermentation, and the biggest part of that is controlling the temperature.

Does the recipe specify a bake time?

Is the recipe a secret? If not, could you post it? If you post the recipe, there's a good chance I could recognize the style and, by doing so, figure out the most appropriate utensil to bake it with.

The most important aspect of making pizza, the aspect that almost all beginners fail to grasp, is the impact of the oven setup and the way the oven setup influences bake time. If you bake a pizza for, say, 5 minutes, it will be an entirely different pizza from the same formula baked for 12 minutes. The formula is pretty important for achieving success, but the oven setup/bake time is far more important and the choices of utensils to bake with all impact the rate at which the pizza bakes.

The link you posted was to a pizza screen. Screens are frequently used to bake pizzas in conveyor ovens, but, occasionally you'll find home bakers using them on stone to avoid having to master launching dough off a peel. The problem with that, though, is that you're putting material between the hot stone and your pizza, and, by doing so, extending your bake time.

The concept of bake time's impact on pizza is a little advanced, and could very well be inapplicable to your great grandma's recipe. But if you're going to get into pizza making, it's never to early to learn the importance of baking utensil choices/oven setup.

If your great grandma used a pan, it was most likely something like one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B000G0KJG4

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JSUB

She also might have used an aluminum lasagna pan, which is virtually the same thing as the baking sheet.

I know this will sound callous, but, you live and you learn. $120 non-stick pans just aren't worth the extra money. The nature of the beast is that, unlike a hardened metal like stainless steel, or a super thick metal, like iron, your non-stick coating will wear out. Maybe it was overheated and the non-stick surface doesn't release as well or maybe it just starts flaking off.

Whatever the case, I regard my non-stick cookware as near-disposable. As such, I wouldn't worry about buying a primo non-stick pan. America's Test Kitchen ran several pans through a gauntlet of tests and rated the Inexpensive T-Fal 12" pan as one of their favorites, so you have that veneer of scrutiny. I have a similar pan (older from TJ Maxx) and it works well for what it is. Higher end pans will likely be thicker with a layer of less heat conductive metal in order try help maintain a steady temperature. All aluminum pans will have far more hot spots and make it easier to burn food.

Yeah, anything glass, ceramic, or stainless steel is what you want. Make sure the stainless steel isn't coated on the inside.

Some suggestions:

• http://www.keepcup.com.au/keepcup-store/keepcup-series/brew-limited
  
• http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B005PO9T44
  
• http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B002VIRP34
  
  A roomate has a plastic reusable tumbler like the one you included in your post. I haven't smelled it, but I have noticed that it's cracked and stained brown. Avoid plastic.
  
  I had this porcelain version of the mug you linked to for years and loved it. I was so sad when I dropped it. I really should buy a new one. Anyway, the inside was always clean, the top was easy enough to clean even if it was silicone, and the insulation was great.

Lots of exotic flours I have only been able to find in grain form, so this would be useful for that. I've also heard that freshly ground flour is supposed to taste amazing, but I can't personally vouch for that.

What does your mom have now? If she doesn't have an electronic scale definitely get one of those.[This one is good.] (https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Scale-Bakers-KD8000-Weight/dp/B00VEKX35Y) I don't know what kind of bread she is baking, but a banneton would be nice if she doesn't have one, they are good for the 'rustic' breads you see here. A good electric thermometer is another one, I like this one. If she isn't baking in a loaf pan or dutch oven, a baking steel or baking stone are useful.

That's a tough one. There are a lot of brewing devices under $25.
This site has a wide variety of coffee goods. I've linked the "Under $50 gift ideas" section. Try that.

Looking in there, I saw an Aeropress (My favorite way to make a single cup of black coffee), I saw a super cheap v60 pourover device for like $5 which would leave you money to buy some gourmet coffee to go with it.

If he really loves good coffee you could order some stuff from stumptown coffee or blue bottle or one of those fancy places online.

a bag of coffee is never a bad gift for someone who likes coffee. a brewing device is a bit riskier as they may already have one and some of them require other gear and you don't know what he has and doesn't have.

Also worth mentioning are these Zojirushi thermoses. The Zojirushi ones are made with some kind of black magic that keeps heat trapped inside for amounts of time that defies physics. There's the one I linked which pours into a cup or there's the other style that you drink straight from. I prefer the cup style because the coffee stays burning hot for so long that I need to pour it into the cup to let it cool while I sip. I always burn my tongue on the other style though it's better when driving. I have both. Only bad thing is it is a few dollars over your mark. But all the good Secret Santa gifts go a little over. ;)

Anyhow, hope that helps.

I wrote this when someone else made a post about grinders. My two cents on the issue:

--------------------------

You can get a cheap metal grinder on amazon for like $8. But, as me and my flatmate once discussed, you should take some things into consideration when purchasing a grinder. Do you see yourself smoking for a long time? If you do, a grinder will become a crucial tool for years to come. While buying a $100 Kannastor 3" 5 piece may seem crazy in the short term, owning one will definitely pay off.

What are you looking for in a grinder? If you want something that produces kief, look into four pieces. If you really want options in this regard look into a five piece, which will give you the option of an extra layer of kief refinement (my buddy owns a five piece but usually sets it up as a four).

The next thing is concealability. Sometimes if you're living at home and want to keep your toking a secret, there is no shame in owning a two piece grinder. Space Case and Mendo Mulcher make fucking awesome two pieces that will get the job done(you can sometimes even get mendo factory defects off ebay on the cheap). When you use a two piece, you're leaving more of the kief on the bud and you can work the bud to whatever level of grind you want(coarse to fine), so there is an advantage.

Whatever you look for, know some factors about quality. If the teeth sections of a grinder are inserts (you can see a seam like the one between the black and silver metal in this pic http://i.imgur.com/HqR6ekL.png) don't buy it. it may take years, but with enough work the two pieces of metal will separate(I ran into this the other night at a friends place). You want your teeth sections to be milled from one solid piece of metal to avoid this.
If I can give a personal recommendation, I use a Mendo Mulcher 3" four piece and it's my all time favorite grinder. Though I will give credit to Space Cases and Kannastors because they are also quality tools.


--------------------------

I definitely recommend a grinder. I keep one of these as a backup grinder and it's about the cheapest four piece you can get, definitely worth the money. I also use one of these for my travel kit and the 3" Mendo Mulcher is my daily driver.

-------------------------

As far as screens go, I say go glass or use a plug nug (small nug of weed below the ground weed to keep it from pulling through). Glass screens are inert and reusable/easily cleaned. Metal screens clog and they put unnecessary stress on the glass(the metal holds the heat close to the glass, while a glass screen cools at the same rate).

Ive got these but it looks like they're not on amazon anymore. I think most well rated quick read thermometers should be just fine though. I'm not a huge fan of the fork style, they don't seem as quick as the ones like I just linked. this one looks great, but ive never used one

For grilling or cooking in the oven I use my iGrill all the time. I had an original and it broke on me, but then I picked up the 2 after seeing them at CES (before Weber bought them) and hearing how it was all new etc. etc. and its been rock solid for me since. Ive picked up a few minis for friends for Christmas as well and they all unanimously love them. I see the 3 is out now, but I have no experience with that.

Edit Looks like the igrill 3 is just crappier and only works with some grills. How dumb is that. If you're going to get one in that case, get an iGrill 2 or a mini

Package Contents:

• Pitcher: Rattleware Steaming Pitcher ($18) Having something with a spout helps pour cleanly into the Aeropress in addition to being a good heating vessel.
  
• Water Heater: Norpro water heater ($11) The time to get enough water to temp is a little longer than the grind time on the hand grinder.
  
• Grinder: Cozyna Grinder ($20): Less than half the price of the Porlex option. I figured if it breaks I can get another one or upgrade to the Porlex.
  
• Brewing: Aeropress ($35)
  
• Filter: Able Aeropress Metal Filter ($13)
  
  Optional:
  
  
• Scale: American Weigh Scale AWS-600-BLK ($10) Just don't get it wet. This could easily fit in the pouch, but by now I've been able to eyeball the bean/water volume required for a particular weight.
  
• Thermometer: Thermapen ($79, refurbished): This was not purchased specifically for this kit. But it's a great thermometer to have in your kitchen anyway! At $10, a simple drink thermometer [like this one](Taylor Precision Products Classic Line Hot Beverage Thermometer for Coffee or Tea https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U1XRA8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_L9b3xbTDWY3MS) would be perfect.
  
• Mug: Ultimo Coffee Camping Mug ($12): Any small mug will do. Ultimo Coffee is one of my favorite local roasters so I'll be traveling with a piece of home wherever I go
  
• Silicone mat (~$15) About the size of a mouse pad. Lets me not worry about putting hot/wet/messy things on the hotel or Air B&B desk.
  
• Bag: S.A.W. Pouch (~$11) designed to hold 6 standard 30 round magazines for automatic weapons... or coffee gear. Got it at my local army surplus store.

OP, I had the exact same concerns about sharpening my own knives. I have great hand eye coordination and can definitely be very delicate with my hands, but I know I'm still going to struggle to hold the proper angle with a flat stone line like that. Takes a lot of practice to get good and consistent at that sharpening motion.

Solution: I bought a Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker from Amazon. What this style of product does is handle the angle work for you by design, offers a 30 degree and 40 degree edge. You simply take the triangular stones and slide them into the base so that they make a "v" shape, and then you sharpen the blade by keeping it verticle and dragging it towards yourself across the stones, alternating between sides stroke by stroke.

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2DDpB8Pjho

I really can't recommend this product enough. Although, to anyone who is interested, I found that I got the best results when I purchased an additional set of triangle stones that are the "ultra fine" grit. All told I think I spent $70 and now I don't have to focus on maintaining the exact angle with a whetstone.

I had posted a similar question earlier and there didn't seem to be much response to it. From what I've read online, oyster mushrooms have pretty strong sporulation, and you can develop allergies etc from breathing a ton of it. With 9x5lb blocks that will probably be a lot of spores, and taking a few precautions is never a bad idea.

I am setting up a shelf greenhouse similar to your setup, and my plan is to put HEPA filters on the 120mm (computer/muffin) fans to filter the exhaust from the greenhouse.

There is a great 3D printing part designed for this exact thing.

I've printed it and it seems good so far, but I haven't actually finished setting it up. By cutting correctly shaped holes in the greenhouse (probably securing the fan with zipties) and sealing around it, you should be able to fix both your FAE problem and prevent most of the spores from leaving the greenhouse.

HEPA filters are usually 0.2-0.5 micron, and the spores are on the order of 2 micron, so they should work pretty well. As a backup / to keep the room tidy in general, I've also picked up one of these floor fans with a HEPA filter off of Amazon. That will also help remove them from the air, as some will definitely get loose over time.

Once I have my system set up I'm planning on putting up a few photos, but it'll be another week or two.

Sorry for the wall of text, hope it helps!

I've used this for two years now, and I've never had anything but perfect rice every single time.

I'm sure I could get better rice if I dropped $300 on one, but the price is good and the quality is perfectly fine to me.

This desk is what I have. It's a bit of a process putting it together, but when it's done it looks super nice and is a very good size. I can easily fit my bookshelf speakers, 2 monitors, and my tower (if I wanted) on one side of the 'L'. The other side just tends to get cluttered with stacks of Magic The Gathering cards :)

What works for me:

I have this rice cooker.

It has a timer which is really helpful. Every morning I wake up to freshly cooked oatmeal, which is a dope way to wake up. I usually throw in some cinnamon and honey. If I have nuts, berries or seeds around, I'll add those too.

At meals I'll have a portion of whole grains-- barley, brown rice, quinoa, pretty much whatever your heart desires. I personally like these more than white rice because they have more texture and make me more full (not to mention the nutritional benefits).

I enjoy stir frying vegetables and some chicken or eggs and adding it to the grains. When I'm getting bored I'll buy some sauces or make some sauces and use those. Generally when I'm stir frying vegetables I like to vary the colors and textures/juiciness of the vegetables I use. Some that work for me: carrots, broccoli, broccoli, kale, sprouts, mushrooms, tomatos, zucchini, corn, and avacados. Avacados are the shit.

If you get a rice cooker you can also cook all types of legumes, and beans in there. With these you can make soups, stews, and many kinds of dishes.

I don't think I really used to like this simple of foods; now I really enjoy what nature has to offer though. I found myself in a similar position as you and walked in to the produce section and thought to myself, "wow, I can eat any of this...and, it's relatively cheap."

Gainz or also this. I don't have the first but Ive heard its pretty amazing. I do have the second and I can attest to rice cookers being fucking awesome. I use mine for cooking noodles, rice, soups, wontons, etc.

Alternatively if you want it to be purely lifting related I hear that Donnie thompsons recently started selling his bowtie and formal bowtie. Which are for people who bench a lot and have ache-y shoulders and ive heard its good.

Failing that maybe think of lifting clothes that are comfy that they might want? Ive heard a few pots talk about wool socks being amazing (though i dont know if you wear those to lift in or just in boots?). Also some companies like strideline let you put your own logo onto the socks themselves. So maybe get the weak elephant logo and put it on socks?

They asked? Yes, that's bullshit.

Anyway, you don't need a set of cast iron pans. Honestly, you only need one. There are small pans, to be sure, and grill pans in endless variety, but a single 12-inch pan is all it takes. Amazon link to the one I have here.

It's THE way to cook a steak, as far as I'm concerned. And, since it's full iron, you can toss it in the oven as a shallow pan for baking chicken. Vegetables need care, but anything you would cook with heat works fine. Just make sure you have gloves, the handle gets hot which is the only downside. There are pans with wood handles, but those don't go in the oven very well.

As a single man, the ability to cook myself an entire meal for one in a single pan is awesome. I imagine that's why you like the wok. What do you use?

ProTip ™ : Buy a small digital scale. Amazon has excellent options. I bought this one and it's totes awesomes. https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-AWS-600-BLK-Nutrition/dp/B000O37TDO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1536284257&sr=8-4&keywords=small+digital+scale

It helps keep your dosing accurate and consistent.

I used to not weigh my doses....I would just "measure" by size of scoop I was taking with my spoon....totally unreliable and inaccurate way of measuring dosage. I would get upset when I wasn't getting consistent results/got the wobbles when the day before I took the "same amount" and it didn't make me sick etc...

Scale is a game changer, dude.

ALSO: Less is more (to a certain extent): Find your effective dosage range, and try to stay in that range.

Mine is 6.5-8.8 grams per/dose. No more, no less. I took me a long time to figure this range out...lots of vomiting from taking too much....and a lot of disappointment/being a sad panda because my silly leaf powder wasn't helping.

This helps keep your tolerance at bay, adhering to a dosage range...as long as you're not dosing excessively (frequency wise). This is just my personal experience, however. Your mileage may vary. Your mileage might actually be kilometers. That's ok too. Just be mindful of your dosing, keep a little log book to record dosage, effects, duration, symptoms relieved etc. I did that for a while and it helped me figure out dosage, as well as the vendors I choose to purchase from (don't worry I'm not gonna name names, I'm cool man, I'm cool....), and preferred strain color (kinda...they're pretty much the same tbh...except some Red veins are waaaay more sleepy than any white, green, yellow etc.)

Alright done ranting.

Welcome to the family!

*everybody high fives awkwardly* :)

You don't need to spend that much for the same level of quality, contact thermometers come in two varieties the typical kitchen thermometers and ones with thermocouples, thermocouples read fast and are very accurate.

I got this one, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AEAG2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

reads just as fast as the 100 buck thermopen, is water resistant, and most importantly can be calabrated, (you just put it in a glass of water and ice and hit calibrate) The one I got read within one degree of our slow fragile but very accurate glass alcohol thermometer.

16.22 on amazon free shipping with 35 bucks worth of stuff with 900 plus reviews. also got this one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084JQL1Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

gives you two reading from two standard k type thermocouples (you can order many different varieties all just plug in) large lcd display and can be calibrated.

18.67 I have not used the double thermometer yet but im pretty sure it is going to work well, may have to order longer k type sensors the ones that came with it are only one meter.

Hope this helps. Brew on!

Grinder

>Capresso Infinity - $89
>
>or
>
>Hario Mini Mill Slim - $30 - If you don't mind hand-grinding your beans


Coffee Maker

>Aeropress - $23 - Balanced flavour, easy cleanup
>
>or
>
>Hario v60 - $19 - If you enjoy the process of preparing your coffee, and enjoy a brighter (more acidity) cup of coffee.
>
>or
>
>A french press - $20 and up - If you want to make more coffee at a time than the Aeropress, don't mind a "thicker" (more coffee particulate and oils in the cup) coffee, and are not opposed to having a little bit more clean-up.

You'll need a kettle for any of these brew methods; a programmable/temperature controlled kettle like this one ($95) is ideal for manual brew methods, but any kettle (and a thermometer if you'd like to get fussy) will do just fine.

Personally I would get the Capresso and the Aeropress if I were you. It's a very balanced and forgiving brew method that can make coffee a few different ways (eg. paper filter for a "brighter" cup, metal for a thicker one). Set aside the rest of your budget and find a good coffee roaster near you!

I'm going to assume you typo'd or autocorrected pretty hard and are using an auto-drip machine. If you're not using one of the SCAA certified machines, it's probably pretty poor in terms of reaching adequate temperature and evenly dispersing water.

While it is possible to find decent coffee at co-ops, the only tried-and-true way of ensuring fresh coffee is buying directly from the roaster. Almost all roasters sell online and ship either the day of or the day after roasting. But supporting local business is good, so look for roasteries. What city are you in? I, or someone else here, could probably make some suggestions for a good roaster near you.

"Cheap" depends on your budget. The bottom end for good electric grinders is about $80. But it is possible to get a coupon for Bed, Bath & Beyond and using it on one there to get it cheaper. If you don't mind a little work out with your morning coffee, a good entry-level hand grinder will run you ~$30.

Large Clever Dripper is my vote, the ease and larger cups of a french press, but paper filter to make it a cleaner cup and much easier cleanup. The aeropress is fine, but the small cup size is slightly annoying as you have to make a concentrate and water down if you want larger, though it is faster. There's also the cheap test if you want, to get a $5 Melitta dripper with #2 filters that are sold at almost every major grocery store, a lot of times cheaper than you can get online. This is what I use most days now over the Clever/Aeropress/Chemex, I make about 14oz cups.

​

It's better to grind right before brewing, but if it's down to like a $10 blade grinder or ground 4 days prior by a big Commercial grinder, the commercial will be better as it's much more consistent. if you want to try before investing in a grinder, go to your local nice coffee shop and when you buy a bag have them grind it for you on their big shop grinder.

/u/DavisEcho is referring to a Tupperdor. Below is my standard recommendation, however it might be a little big for you. However this can give you an idea of what to look for.

The smaller Sistema, like the 1830 holds in the 30-35 cigar range and might be a better fit.

Sistema 1870: $20

• Check locally, Target or Home Goods might have this for less.
  
• Any of the Sistema containers are good options. They have clamps and a gasket in the lid to make sure the container stays airtight. Choose the one that fits your needs or a similar product. The 1870 will hold around 80 cigars.
  
  Boveda Packs: $17
  
  
• Choose the pack that is right for you. Personally I like 65%.
  
• If you go with a different size container, you might need to adjust how many packs you get. Remember to get the number of packs per the capacity of the container, not how many cigars are currently in the container. This page will help you determine how many packs you will need.
  
  Digital Hygrometer: HygroSet II - $14 or Caliber IV - $24
  
  
• Any correctly callibrated digital hygrometer will work.
  
• I have both of the above and they are good options
  
  Spanish Cedar Trays: $13
  
  
• These are not needed, however work well for organization
  
• Plastic trays will also work.
  
• If you choose a different container, make sure the trays fit.

Slow cooker is a good choice. I use mine a lot for stocks, sauces, soups, chili, etc.

Electric Roasting Pan is nice.

Good knifes- others have commented on this. Don't forget about wood cutting boards and oils for those. Can't have enough.

Peelers are generally overlooked. Get good ones.

Anything teflon or non-stick... return. Don't ask for. Get them cheap as you can and plan on tossing them out every year and replacing.

A good timer and meat thermometer also.

A good oven thermometer is cheap and get it yourself. You can usually find a good one online.

Lastly- depending on where you live, a year subscription to a Chef Warehouse or Restaurant Depot can save you a lot, you can pick up gear cheap, and maybe meet and talk with a few chefs. That'll be worth the price!

edit: formatting

I support this idea. If you are not drinking from a tumbler straw, this is my favorite water bottle of all time:

Zojirushi SM-KHE48AG Stainless Steel Mug, 16-Ounce, Smoky Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005PO9T44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BLPNDb7RN077A

I got so used to drinking ice water (no longer room temp like a plebeian) and the ergonomics are unparalleled in this bottle. The ease of the pour spout makes it effortless to sip and work on something else, or tilt it in bed without spilling, not to mentions makes sharing easier since the pour is so good you don’t have to touch it to your mouth! Also if you forget to drink enough water one day, don’t worry, water will still be cold. It holds ice cubes for over 24 hours (meaning ice in water holds solid form for HOURS).

Too hyped on this but it seriously got me into a good habit of drinking water.

_____

The other trick I did at my last job was to get up and refill my bottle once every hour. It would make me race the clock to do a certain task or amount of work before getting up to pee and refill it again.

Because if I was drinking a bottle an hour and getting up every time, I had to pee every hour... which meant phone games and reddit every hour from 5-10 minutes an hour depending...

It made me a happier, faster worker, more hydrated, and I got paid an hour to pee EVERY day... (7 minutes to pee/refill every hour give or take extra pooping time X 7 work hours a day = 49 minutes).

It also helps you poop more if you drink more water and relax on the toilet. And I’d always say, save money on the toilet paper while also getting paid to shit!

r/hydrohomies for life

Cast iron pans are AMAZING for cooking almost anything in. Try to avoid cooking highly acidic foods in them, because that can break down the seasoning that builds up as you use the pan. In other words, use an enameled pot for dishes that have a lot of tomatoes. The best cast iron frying pan to get is the Lodge 12-inch skillet -- it's big and heavy, but not too big for your stovetop, and it provides a lot of room to fry in. They typically sell at Wal-Mart for between $16 and $19, depending on the Wal-mart you go to. It's very easy to find a used cast iron pan at yard sales, flea markets, Goodwill, etc; but based on experience I've seen those pans are usually the 10-inch size or smaller, and if you only have one cast iron pan then I'd suggest going for the 12-inch size. (TJ Maxx/Marshalls had a shipment of those Lodge cast iron pans earlier this year, with the 12-inch size going for $14.99; if you look in one of those stores you may still be able to find one.)

I'll admit to being biased in favor of cast iron, so based on my advice above for an enameled cooking pot, I'd likewise suggest a big, heavy, enamel-coated cast iron pot. The really expensive enameled pots like Le Creuset can run into the hundreds of dollars, and their owners swear it's worth the price; but for most folks, a less expensive brand of enameled iron pot will perform just as well for a fraction of the price. If you're near an Aldi's, with its own brand names for just about anything in the store, you can usually find a 5-quart enameled iron cooking pot for $20 to $30 in there. Wal-Mart sells a 6-quart enameled iron pot by Lodge for $50, which I think is a great price because Lodge is a very reliable and durable brand.

Step 1 - Go to Amazon. Acquire the following:

If you have a gas stove: http://www.amazon.com/Northwest-Glass-SY-5-22-Ounce-Stovetop/dp/B002CVTKVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1314164733&sr=1-1

Otherwise: http://www.amazon.com/Northwest-Glass-TCA-5D-20-Ounce-Coffee/dp/B002CVTKTW/ref=pd_sim_k_17

Burr Grinder: http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Grinder-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1314164311&sr=8-6

Step 2 - Go to Whole Foods. Go to their coffee section. Look for a medium roast, with single-origin beans (beans from a single plantation). Avoid blends. South-American single-origin medium roast is probably best. Pick a roast date that is yesterday or the day before.

If you don't have a way to filter water at home, find a way. It also helps to have a way to heat water.


Step 3 - Go home. It is probably best to do this now.

Clean your coffee siphon gently but thoroughly. You don't have to clean the cloth filter.

Place the beans in the grinder. Turn the grinder setting to fine, but not extra fine. Enough so that once ground you will get about 2 Tbsp. per 6 oz of coffee. YMMV.

Assemble the coffee siphon - place the cloth filter on the metal disc and secure with knots. Insert the filter assembly into the top chamber. Do not put the two chambers together yet.

If your filtered water isn't already really hot, make it really hot. Bring it to a boil, take it off the heat, and let it sit for 10-15 seconds. Or, just use an electric kettle.

Pour the water into the bottom pot. Insert the assembled top chamber into the pot and secure the seal. Place the pot on stove or burner as appropriate. Apply medium heat.

As the water percolates up the siphon, grind your coffee beans.

Once the water starts bubbling in the top chamber, toss in your grind.

At this point - your nose will tell you best when the coffee is done. It is usually about 1:20 to 1:40 minutes. You want the winey, grassy smell to disappear, and the grinds in the top chamber to look deep brown. However, if you smell even the slightest hint of burnt coffee, or if the grinds start to appear purple - you have failed. Hang your head in shame and try another time.

Remove the heat source (turn off stove/burner).

Let the coffee completely siphon into the pot. You will get some turbulence. Let it settle.

Delicately remove the top chamber.

Pour. Sip, slowly.


Step 4 - Thank me.

I always follow the ediblesonly recipe from the sidebar. Really works! Always decarb first. There are many methods and variations to decarbing, but I usually just wrap my broken up buds in tinfoil and bake it at 230 degrees in the oven for about 30 minutes. The end re^sult should be brownish green and crunchy, dry to the touch. With a mortar and pestle, I pulverize the bud then transfer it to a mason jar with the coconut oil/butter, throw it in the crock pot with water in it at 195 degrees and let it stew for three hours. Take it out, let it cool, then freeze. I usually repeat the process again sometimes twice. Good luck and Happy cooking!

Edit: just saw you want to be smell free, which I have tried before with no smell. Simply skip the tinfoil method and put the broken up buds inside the mason jar you'll be using and increase the time of decarbing. Keep the fans going in your house and I would highly recommend investing in one of these air purifiers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VGIGVY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_kQJAzb3CD7F1Z
I smoke inside my apartment with this running (where we had to sign a clause to not smoke inside) and it leaves my apartment smelling brand new when I have it running for a few hours after smoking. It really helps, especially when wanting to make edibles!

> I've ordered a scale ($20) because I've realized how important it is to know your exact GPD. You cannot get that by using spoons. Just knowing your intake is a step forward. From there you can taper

This is THE best advice for getting started. Forget cutting back or your plan. Just start by getting stable at a standard dose for the day (and you have to measure to know what that standard is). Just getting to a point where your intake is stable and not dictated by "well I'm going past the bag, I guess I'll get another scoop" or "I feel like taking another", is a good first step.

​

And you don't even have to pay $20 for a scale. This one works perfectly fine for $7!

​

Get started today. Keep a written log. You'll feel better getting it out of your head and onto paper, and that paper can help keep you accountable. You won't know how to get where you're going until you know where you are currently.

Correct. Boveda packs are true 2-way humidification. If the humidity goes high, they will absorb some of it as well. They do an excellent job of keeping humidity when the humidor is seasoned properly and has a good seal.

Wooden humidors do take a bit of maintenance. I would recommend looking into a Tupperdor type setup. Get a plastic tupperware type container that has a good seal. We generally recommend the Sistema Klip It 232 Oz - the price on amazon is fairly high right now but Target will have it for $14'ish. Combine that with some Boveda 60g packs (recommend 65% RH) and you're all set. You can even get a Spanish Cedar Tray to help organize. Will fit perfectly inside.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000Q9C4AE?pc_redir=1407052478&robot_redir=1

It's the spyderco 204 mf get some diamond stones on it and boom you'll never need a razor again

Here is a video with a pretty good explanation. http://youtu.be/-MHe_8wTHmg it does take you about 15 minutes but you will have a mirror edge, and You can widdle hair with it.

I've have used that chefs choice sharpener, it is pretty good but the diamonds (or steel) run out pretty fast. Of I could spend that money again I would definitely gone for the spyderco.

And if you get it don't be cheap! Give yourself that razor edge for the extra $35 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0019JTNDQ?cache=48955fd73064588b9d00d11d1b3b957a&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1407287673&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

Don't be fooled they are sold per 1

> spiceindiaonline.com/crispy-chicken-65/

I'm inclined to mostly agree with /u/Amnizu. I dont think I've ever seen deep frying in a pot like that, even if it is heavy bottomed, the outside is not heavy so it will not retain the temperature of the oil as well as cast iron would. A $20 Cast Iron pan is usually my go to for frying. Even safer and probably better would be something like this. A Quart of Oil is actually quite a bit in that kind of pot. When using the Cast Iron get an 1-1.5 inches of oil up to temp then slowly add in each piece of chicken. The recipe you are using has water in the ingredients which is ok, as long as you don't have excess sauce on the chicken when you put it in. Water and frying are not friends. You might even want to reduce the amount of water just a little. To be safe keep some Baking Soda near by to put out any potential grease fires. I'm no pro so take what I say with a grain of salt. I usually use a cast iron pan and it comes out great, makes the house smell though. Hope this helps.

I've done both. From a process standpoint, not a huge difference.

Coarse grind, leave it for a bazillion hours, filter, enjoy.

Toddy is great because it's significantly more capacity. My French press will produce about half to 65% of the concentrate as the Toddy. I get about a literish of concentrate when all is said and done (you add like 7 cups of water, so 1.6 liters). Compared with my 1L French Press which gets me just over a half a liter.


It's also super easy to use and clean. Let it brew, pull the plug into the decanter that's fit for the top.

looks like it's $28 on amazon which is the lowest I've ever seen it. If you're gonna jump, do it now!

http://www.amazon.com/Toddy-T2N-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW

Yeah, I was thinking more like having them ship you one box and then canceling until you were ready for more. They include nice cards with full cooking instructions, so if you really like something you can make it again on your own!

Jamie Oliver does all the Hello Fresh recipes, and I really like his stuff because he keeps things dead simple but his recipes are still very interesting. I'd watch as much of his stuff as you can (his videos helped me immensely when I was getting started)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQZtCVkypAo

Keep up the good work!!!!

PS: This thing is the shit for keeping knives sharp on the cheap https://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-ACCU-001C-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1479051314&sr=8-7&keywords=knife+sharpener

Not to say that op needs a new coffee grinder, or that coffee grinders are a bad idea, but you could always get a regular herb grinder from amazon for like 6 bucks and with shipping and tax i think its well worth it. I got mine when the price was like 2.84 and overall it came out to like 7 bucks tops for 2.25'' grinder with a pollen collector(kief catcher). Plus who ever shows up with a coffee grinder all like, "hey i grind as much as you could possibly want in about 2 seconds with this bitch" lol.

You really need to take some photos and describe it better. How heavy is the pan? Is it light enough for you to wave it around in the air? If not, it might be cast iron. A 12" cast iron skillet weighs around 8lbs (going by these details on the Lodge pan on Amazon).

What color is it on the outside? Cast iron will be black all the way around. What material does it seem to be made of? Aluminum is very light and often pretty thin. I doubt it is stainless steel because the inside being black would mean it is just really dirty.

Did you ever wash it? Will that stuff that you can scrape off wash off with a good scrubbing?

Have you asked your mom? Most pans have specific ways that you need to care for them to keep them in good shape and to work their best. For example, you shouldn't use metal utensils in Teflon coated pans because you'll scratch the non-stick surface. Also, you shouldn't let cast iron pans sit around wet because they'll start to rust and they need a good season to perform their best.

• Everything except the acidic stuff so like tomato sauces or lemon stuff etc. (you can but you need it really well seasoned).
  
  
• No you don't really need to invest in it. It'll probably out live you assuming you don't lose it. Some are really expensive because it's more about buying for the brand than the actual quality. For example: A 12in Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is $34.. It's pretty much the gold standard for cast iron stuff in North America. And if you look on the reviews you'll see that more than 2000 people bothered to write a review and they'll agree with me.
  
  
• Pre season means that the factory applied a layer of oil (I think it's soy oil) to polymerize the fat to the skillet and create a non-stick surface. It's not a bad thing but more often than not, these non-stick surfaces aren't true non-stick surfaces. It's more of a marketing gimick. When you get your cast iron whatever, season it yourself.
  
  
• Yes there are downsides to cast iron. (1): It's heavy as fuck. It weighs almost 10 pounds which might not seem like much but your wrist will get more of a workout than a life time of masturbation cooking with this thing. (2) In bare cast iron, you can't cook acidic stuff. (3): It's not very sensitive to heat. So if you heat it up, it'll stay warm for a while. (4) You have to wait a little to let it cool down before you clean it. Because if you take a hot skillet and you clean it immediately in cold water you can crack it via thermal shock. It will be non stick after you cook in it enough. It'll take a month or 2 depending on how much you use it.
  
  
• On my stove top the biggest burner is a double burner. Meaning it's one circle surrounding another. The stove top has an option to warm up the inner ring or both rings. When I use the 12 incher, I have to use the both ring option. So go measure your stove top burners and check.
  
  
• While the 12in Skillet is a really versatile piece of cookware based on it's shape alone, if you could only get one piece of equipment, you'd get a lot of versatility out of the Lodge Combo Cooker. The top is only a 10 inch skillet though so take that in mind if you want to make pizza in it (the pizza will be smaller.

You want a fast reading digital thermometer, by the way. Something like this will do the job.

There's an amazing instant read that's even better, but they're like $100. But temperature is your main concern, really.

Also, an excellent technique for cooking meat that's quite forgiving is braising in a slow cooker. It's stupid simple, cheap, and you end up with something tender and delicious.

1. Obtain slow cooker.
   
2. Obtain pork shoulder.
   
3. Place pork shoulder in slow cooker.
   
4. Dump in a cup or so of a braising liquid - Coke classic works well for pork, but anything with a decent level of acidity and reasonable flavor profile will do the trick.
   
5. Cook on low for 8 hours.
   
6. Shred it with a fork and season to taste.
   
   You can stick on in the oven on a baking sheet under the broiler to crisp up a bit. With some salt and other seasonings of your choice that can go great on tacos.
   
   Or you can combine with BBQ sauce for a pulled pork sandwich.

I second the 7pc Cuisinart Multi-Clad Stainless set. It is a quality set that will give you the most versatility. The multi-clad will provide more even heating that some of their cheaper sets. You can use any utensils with them and you can take them from stovetop to oven, which can be very handy. At 8 quarts, the stock pot is plenty big enough for pasta, chili, or deep frying.

Eventually, you'll probably want to get a nonstick frying pan and rubber spatula for eggs and other things that easily stick in stainless steel. This 8 inch one, also by Cuisinart is pretty good for the money. This spatula by OXO is well-made, and only $7. Stainless steel will be just as good, or better, for most things, but eggs are best in nonstick.

A 12 inch cast iron pan would be handy to eventually get too, if you want to be able to cook steaks indoors. They're also good for baking corn bread and making pancakes. I wouldn't get one immediately, but they're nice to have.

I'd recommend adding a decent burr grinder to your collection and you'll have everything required for first-rate coffee at home. It's not intuitively obvious, but the grinder might be the single most influential bit of coffee gear you buy. You'll never get a solid, consistent brew if your grinder cannot produce a consistent grind.

I've purchased 2 of these Capresso burr grinders to give to family and they work great, super easy to use (helpful for my mother-in-law), and are generally quiet, reliable, and consistent.

I'd recommend at minimum 1 non-stick pan, 1 big and 1 medium pot, 1 big stainless steel sautee pan with high walls & lid, and 1 small stainless steel pan. At least, that's what I use the most. If you like cast iron get a skillet too.

I got my 12-piece stainless steel Cuisinart set from Bed Bath & Beyond because my mom gave me a coupon. It's very nice. I don't care for cookware with glass lids. All-clad makes great stainless steel cookware too.

For a non-stick skillet, T-Fal is recently popular. I like mine. It doesn't feel cheap yet its cheap enough that I don't worry too much about scratches. Got mine on Amazon.

For cast iron it's really hard to beat Lodge. Their skillets and Dutch ovens are top notch once properly seasoned. Never mind any cast iron that says it's pre-seasoned, best to give it 3-4 more coats to start with. It's easy just time consuming. I bought mine at Orchard hardware actually but you can find it on Amazon too.


Enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are a joy to use but Le Creuset, while undeniably top notch, is prohibitively expensive. Lodge, Cuisinart, and Tramontina are cheaper brands but I believe all their enameling is done in China.

I have this kettle: Cuisinart PerfecTemp Kettle. It's great. I use it for coffee and tea. It doesn't have a temperature display exactly, but you press a button to select your desired temperature. But my favorite feature is probably to "keep warm" feature. Great kettle, well worth the money.

I guess I could call myself an experienced home cook now and I also would recommend Rachael Ray recipes. A lot of people on reddit seem to hate her because she's not Gordon Ramsey or Alton Brown, but I think that a lot of her recipes are a simple, realistic way to start cooking. Alton Brown, Julia Child, and the like are all great for learning to cook from, but most people don't have the time it takes to cook like them every night. Aim to prepare their recipes once or twice a week, but in the meantime, just gain some experience with the simple stuff.

Definitely get a meat thermometer! I've been using this one for a few years. I've had a few others, and this is the only one that has lasted a while. I used to say that I didn't like meat very much, but when I started using a meat thermometer, I really started to enjoy it. It's a lot better than cutting into it and losing juices, especially since you should let your meat rest for at least 5 minutes after cooking it.

Also, check out this slideshow about the most common cooking mistakes.

You look wonderful today, did you do something new to your hair?

You should get this can opener is made of good thick steel, it's heavy in the hand and I have never had a problem opening a can with one. Bonus, it has a bottle opener on it.

And this is an excellent liquid measuring cup.

You may also want some of the following:

Hand soap for the kitchen and bathroom sinks, hand towels.
You need basic first aid stuff, like adhesive bandages (band-aids) and rubbing alcohol, good tweezers. Include basic pain meds, stuff for an upset stomach, allergy meds, or any prescription medications you need.

Sponges and scrub brushes. If you want to use a swifter type thing, I'd like to recommend this I have used it to clean offices and it works. The handle is pretty heavy duty and you can make or buy extra cleaning cloths, then you just put them in the washer.

Oh a colander, I will admit I picked that one because it's cute.

I love my rice cooker I use it to steam vegetables or cook rice at least once a week. I have the larger version but that one would probably work, or the larger one.

I could use one of the following: Notebook or Scissors or a Book.

Oh, I can answer this one beautifully!

We used to use pour over coffee, one cup at a time. It took forever and was awful.

Do they have an inverter capable of up to 2000 watts? If so, read on!! If not, ignore my idea.....


So if they have an inverter, get them two things. First, this guy:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KYSLNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This thing is beautiful. Gets water to the perfect temp in just a few minutes, and saves tons of propane vs conventional heating. If they cruise in the tropics they will appreciate the savings on heating the cabin.


Second, get em this dude:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005YY9X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=305DG4O1W7U4L&coliid=IYQ052FWO4QF9&psc=1


It is insulated, keeps coffee hot for a crazy long time, and its rugged stainless construction keeps them from having to have filters on hand!!!

All this results in coffee made effectively and efficiently at the cheap price of like 15 aH. give or take, depending on their battery bank.

I got you.

Container like this but this same one can be found cheaper at Target. You may need to use a free ship to store pick up option.

At least one of these, but two can stack in the above container.

A digital hygrometer. I use this guy.. Feel free to shop around obviously. Avoid analog hygrometers and make sure to calibrate it before trusting it. Techinally you could get by without one, but it's nice having the confirmation.

Two of these (65% for tubberware, imo). The four pack is $6 more if you want extra, buy two tupperwares or whatever.

posted this earlier.

I bought a Toddy last weekend. I know you can do basically the same thing with mason jars and whatever, but this just seemed quick and idiot proof.

I really enjoyed it. I liked that it was able to make a lot at a time, (lasted me pretty much all week) and could just keep a jug of it in the fridge. (the waiting was the most frustrating part of the process)

I just put it over a ton of ice and then added milk or almond milk.

Since I was just doing it for the first time I used some french dark roast beans from trader joes. Not sure what the best to use are.

I've only done it one time, so I'm obviously not very experienced. But yeah, that's my experience. I'd say it was easily worth it, I thought about going the more thrifty/crafty way, but the convenience seemed worth it to me.

If I may, this knife sharpener is inexpensive and we love it. It's saved our knives, and it also gets recommended on /r/kitchenconfidential a lot, too.

I took the Cook's Illustrated "Best Buy" recommendations for all our knives, and can confidently recommend the Victorinox Chef's Knife as a basic, nice chef's knife.

Cheaply-built auto drip machines work against you in a few ways:

1. Poor temperature control. Some may not ever get close to the sweet spot for your beans. Others are just really inconsistent.
   
   
2. Poor dispersion patterns. They tend not to wet the coffee very evenly. Some are better than others in this regard.
   
   
3. A glass pot sitting on a hot plate does not do good things for coffee flavor.
   
   So how much does this matter? The first is the most important, IMO, and it varies a lot from cheap machine to cheap machine. How much you care about it varies a lot from coffee to coffee. If you've got a machine that can basically hit a temperature where the coffee you're using tastes good and it's mostly consistent about doing so, you're in luck. Just keep it descaled, because limescale will severely degrade the ability to hit the temperature. I think the dispersion pattern matters less for most coffees, and as long as you get it off the burner right away, it doesn't do too much damage.
   
   The secret to getting a decent cup from one of these is to use good, fresh beans. Grind them with a good grinder just before you brew. Use water that tastes good before you pour it in.
   
   All that said, given the same prerequisites (good, fresh beans, a good grinder, good water) you'll be able to produce a better cup than these cheap makers by using the cheapest manual pour cone you can find. By manually heating the water, you control temperature yourself. By manually pouring the water, you can make sure that the grounds are soaked nice and evenly. And by not pouring it into a glass carafe sitting on a burner, you can avoid degrading the coffee by heating it once it's brewed.
   
   

I have a FORLIFE Crurve teapot, makes three cups of tea and is great.

An electric kettle would be a fantastic part of a gift set. This one appears to be one of the best. Good luck.

For anyone who is curious, Amazon has a pretty cheap pre-seasoned pan, goes around $16-$20 and is a very good pan if you learn how to take care of cast iron. It's not hard but like knives, takes a little care.

I don't use it too much because I cook mostly for myself and don't need to use such a large pan for the majority of dishes, but there are smaller sizes that are even cheaper out there. I prefer my somewhat lighter hard anodized pans that don't stick and keep a nice even heat.

I'm sure all clad are nice but way too expensive, because you're paying for the name brand and they know it. As for in college, unless you're living in a shared house you won't have a good enough kitchen to use them in and they'll probably get dropped or misused if they're left anywhere that someone else can use them.

If [this] (https://www.house.com.au/baccarat-id3-3-step-knife-sharpener) is the one your talking about then I would not recommend it. Those kind of sharpener are in general very poor at sharpening your knife and wear out the blade much faster than a regular sharpening system. They function by pinching off chunks of metal and leaving a wavy stressed edge that will dull quickly and require sharpening again.

Instead for a similar price, at least here in the US its a similar price. I would recommend the


[spyderco sharpmaker] (https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tri-Angle-Sharpmaker-Sharpener-204MF/dp/B000Q9C4AE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519110224&sr=8-1&keywords=sharpmaker)

It holds the ceramic rods at pre set angles but doesnt have only a single angle to it and you can even take out the rods and use them individually or tilt the sharpener to make up for some smaller variations in the factory grind angle.
Also very importantly you can clean the ceramic rods in the sharpmaker awhile in that device you really cant.
The one draw back that the sharpmaker has is that the brown ceramic "Medium" grit rods are very fine and do not do good at sharpening a knife that is very dull (its very slow at it)

Alternatively I would also recommend this


[Lansky diamond ceramic turnbox] (https://www.amazon.com/Lansky-2D2C-Diamond-Ceramic-Four/dp/B008EKY5OA/ref=pd_sbs_200_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B008EKY5OA&pd_rd_r=VYC7T7S4Q80MZ56KR8NA&pd_rd_w=4CqcY&pd_rd_wg=wFmqi&psc=1&refRID=VYC7T7S4Q80MZ56KR8NA)

Its similar to the sharpmaker but cheaper, has shorter ceramic rods which can make it a little less ideal for longer knives like kitchen knives. But it also comes with some diamond rods that are much courser than the rods on the sharpmaker.
The sharpmaker does come with diamond or CBN rods but they cost almost as much as the whole sharpener, though a great addition if you do a lot of dull knives.

I have the Pampered Chef version of these measuring cups I love using these since I can see what I am measuring much better.

My mama got us a Soda Stream and it has saved gobs of money on energy drinks and pop. I think that the majority of the sodas taste better than their more expensive counterparts and they contain way less sugar!

While I do not have one of these; I am thoroughly convinced that I NEED one. =)

Edit: Let's do it in the kitchen.

I got so excited I forgot the raffle phrase :p

Aeropress is ok, but you can get similar results with a simple single-cup pourover.

You can find one of these plastic filter holders for $3-6 at any big grocery store: https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6

Then get some #2 paper cone filters which are also very cheap.

The part that gets expensive (if you want it to be!) is a coffee grinder. I have a nice electric one at home that I paid about $300 for. But when I'm on the road I use a hand-grinder: https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Coffee-Mill/dp/B001802PIQ. The Hario one is $35 but you can find similar ones for $20.

You could also just spend $10 on a shitty electric blade grinder. The fresh-ground coffee will still taste better than the pre-ground stuff but you might not get full flavor extraction if the grind is inconsistent.

To boil water I use an electric kettle, but you can also just use a propane stove or microwave or whatever you have available. I heat my water to anywhere between 190oF and 205oF, actually boiling water is too hot for coffee.

The most important single thing you can do for awesome coffee is simply grinding the beans fresh and then making the coffee. Everything else that coffee snobs do as part of their coffee ritual don't add too much more unless you have a really refined palate and are serious about coffee. Some people need to have their beans uniformly ground at the right diameter, use water at an exact temperature, and have a drip process that lasts for a precise amount of time. They aim for consistency so they spend a shitload on expensive grinders and kettles. They'll only use beans that were roasted within the past week.

But for me, as long as the beans were roasted within the past couple of months (pro-tip: don't buy a bag of coffee beans if it doesn't have the roasting date on it), I grind them fresh for coffee, and use water-that-isn't-boiling-yet, I get a cup I can really enjoy.

No problem, didn't bother me just warning you before the brigade got here. hehe.

Okay, so there's at the top of this reddit links to some cigar recommendations you can check out.

For a humidor, I 100% recommend an air tight plastic food container with a 62-69% Boveda humidity packet.

This route is the cheapest, works VERY well, and lets you focus on spending money on cigars for right now. Unless you just really want to throw down a bunch of cash on a pretty wood box (Hey, I've done it).

If you don't already have a spare food container, I really like the 29 cup Sistema Klip It container. It's bpa-free, food safe, seals up very well, and is a good shape for cigars. You can fit 75-100 sticks in one of these. I umn, have.. 8 of them now.. haha.

The best way to cook a thicker steak on the grill is to set up two heat zones, an indirect zone and a direct zone. With coals, simply place the coals on one half of the grill and nothing under the other half. On a gas grill, light only half of the burners and keep the others off.

Don't bother oiling your steak. Start the steak on the indirect side, again using a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. once the temp reaches 110-115, move the steak over to the direct side to finish with a sear, flipping the steak once per minute (yes, it's completely okay to flip your steak multiple times, it promotes more even cooking; leave for at least one minute per side to promote the maillard reaction).

Unless you plan on cutting into it immediately, you will need to take carryover cooking into account which can increase the internal temperature another 5-10 degrees, so for a perfect medium rare, remove from the grill once the internal temperature reaches ~125-128 (perfect medium rare is ~132). If you are going to cut immediately, you can remove it once it reaches to 130-132 degrees. Keep in mind that carryover cooking is more pronounced on thicker cuts because they hold onto to more heat energy.

One great thing about having the thermometer is being able to observe carryover cooking for yourself. Simply keep the thermometer inserted after you remove the steak from the heat and you'll see the temperature continue to climb!

I have had a great experience the past 9 months using the Lavatools Javelin thermometer which is 1/4 the price of a ThermoWorks thermometer (considered the bees knees) and still reads temperatures very fast.
https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-Javelin-Digital-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ

I personally would get the following way sooner if I was building my kitchen all over again.

Also if there is a place you can get bulk spices near by I would go there for your spices, because if you havent already noticed spices are pricey at your local megamart.

Lavatools Thermowand - Same form factor as the much more expensive thermopen but at 1/3 the price.

Lodge cast iron skillet - great for searing meats or as a good starting pan.

OXO Bench Scraper - Makes prep work much easier and safer as you don't use your knife to scrape your food off the cutting board.

Immersion Blenders - When you dont want to use your big blender or want to blend something in your pot or pan.

Stainless Steel Cookware - Has a little bit of a learning curve but is great after the fact.

Aeropress - Life is too short to make shitty coffee.

Edit: added a thermometer/spelling

The first two say that they are anodized, which won't (or shouldn't...) chip away.

You might want to check out this listing. It's similar to your last link, but significantly cheaper. I have a few friends with this one, and they like it a lot. The shiny silver color will give way eventually with enough rubbing/abrasion, but if you don't care about some minor cosmetic issues, the functionality remains solid. Also, be aware that they ship from China, so it takes a couple weeks to arrive.

I don't have much of a suggestion, though. I think you'll be happy with any of those. Definitely make sure that the grinder you do choose (if not on that list) has 3 chambers - the grinding chamber, the chamber sufficiently ground bud falld into, and a kief catch.

Good on you! My first thoughts in thinking of your budget is a decent food processor, which should be in the $20-$30 range. If she's already got knives, maybe a couple of nice cutting boards. Also, you can never have too many wooden spoons, ;) Seriously though, just look for a pack of bamboo ones, and she will not be disappointed. I recommend a good [meat thermometer](http://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X- ProAccurate-Quick-Read- Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAG2/ref=sr_1_2/188-1708874-0568330?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1381121596&sr=1-2)
As far as herbs and spices go, get her some saffron and vanilla beans. Look into some different spice blends too, according to your own tastes. I hope I helped.
As a wife myself, those are what I would like in my own stocking! Good luck to you!

thanks! I don't know exactly what it's made of, but it's very sturdy and feels like it's really great quality. if you're interested [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0023X32MA/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) is the grinder i bought.

i just used nail polish on it, and i don't think (and hope!) is doesn't chip off! there are ridges on the cap that looks like it'll keep the polish on it.

I think this is the one you’re talking about:
Sistema 1870 Klip It Collection Rectangle Food Storage Container, 232 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00284AG5U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3cI-AbBBZ8PKE

It’s highly regarded on reddit haha. It’s definitely a great choice. I actually bought it and cedar trays (linked below) to be my set up. These cedar shelves are a perfect fit inside too! 2 can stack and fit like a glove. Unfortunately my apt is always outrageously warm so I had to get a wineador.

Shelves on amazon:
Spanish Cedar Cigar Tray, Adjustable Divider, Fits Large Humidors, Made with Solid Spanish Cedar, by Quality Importers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B9234HE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JgI-Ab7WAXSV1

It's a horrible trade-off to make!

Here is the air purifier and I highly recommend getting both the suggested filter and pre-filter. The pre-filters get all of the pet hair and are cheaper so that you only replace those every so often instead of the entire filter. Once the pre-filter gets gray I replace it, about every month, but the actual filter only needs to be replaced a couple times a year in my experience. It depends on how much dust and other things are actually making it through.

Life has been much better with this and if you just need a dog-free space like the bedroom, it'll be even more effective because the space is smaller. :)

Edit: Also, I've had it since December of 2015 and it still works very well!

Interesting, I didn't know such a thing existed! Sounds like a good way to non-harmfully test silver coinage. Best of all, there's no consumables / chemicals to worry about. Sounds like a good investment if you're buying lots of silver.

FWIW, you can also get digital pocket scales of fairly good accuracy for very little money these days. I got one of those a while back (American Weigh Scales AWS-600-BLK) and was very happy with it.

Nope, Zojirushi!

I've gone through three to four mugs (Tervis, Thermos, Contigo, and now the Zojirushi) looking for the perfect one that is high quality but also is resistant to absorbing flavors...contigo quickly failed that one, as well as not allowing ample room for the coffee scent to get to your nose...ever tried eating while sick? Can't taste much, found it was often that way with the contigo...and if not that, it tasted like plastic :/

This one seems to be a winner so far! Really though, it can be obnoxiously hot at times so I'm thinking of popping an ice cube or two in there to cool it down a bit before i seal it, other wise, even 12 hours later, it'll still scald me haha.

This is the one I got, 16 oz in black. Super high quality product, well worth the money!

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-KHE48AG-Stainless-Steel-16-Ounce/dp/B005PO9T44/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1409178210&sr=1-2

Well it depends, do you just want a good starter desk or something you can use for a good length of time without feeling like you have to get another one?Personally I have a rather small desk I thought I would like but have come to realise leaves me wishing for more space for my mouse, keyboard and assorted desk decorations (a few figures mainly). An L shape desk can be great for this https://www.amazon.com/Walker-Edison-Soreno-3-Piece-Corner/dp/B001FB5LE8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1494868308&sr=8-6&keywords=desk

https://www.amazon.com/GreenForest-L-Shape-Computer-Workstation-3-Piece/dp/B01K7AOSQE/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1494870034&sr=8-34&keywords=desk

There's a few more options you can find on amazon just by searching desk. I hope this was helpful.

Oh wow! Thanks - seems like that it would be worth getting that one.

Amazon wants $35 and 4.4 out of 5 stars with 461 customer reviews is pretty good :)

I came here just to recommend the RH Forschner-Victorinox knives. Get a chef's knife, a paring knife and a bread knife. That will cover the vast majority of your knife needs.

Cook's Illustrated rated them very highly. I can attest from my own personal experience, they are inexpensive, comfortable, and easy to keep sharp. It's amazing you can buy a knife this good for so little money.

Get a Victorinox steel ($9), and also pick up an Accu-sharp knife sharpener, also highly recommended by Cook's Illustrated, and me as well: http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1229911994&sr=8-4

EDIT: You may also want to add a (quality) pair of kitchen shears. Very handy thing in the kitchen.

If you start out with these 6 pieces, you will be well on your way to a very well equipped kitchen.

Solid job! Definitely better than my first steak-cooking experience. A few recommendations, echoing the other ones here:

1. Try and cook at a higher heat. You started to develop a nice crust, but getting the cast iron scorching hot will give it a complete, brown, and crispy exterior. While you're prepping, stick your pan in the oven at 400 degrees to get it hot and then throw it on a high burner just before cooking.
   
   
2. If you're pan searing, adding a few knobs of butter + garlic + thyme about halfway through cooking will add a lot of flavor. If you choose just one of those though, make it the butter. Basting it [Gordon Ramsay style] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEx9gPhtjzs) will really complete what you've got.
   
   Again, nice work - happy cooking!
   
   EDIT: Took a second look and I noticed it was a nonstick. I can't recommend highly enough investing the $30 in a [Lodge cast iron skillet] (http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-12-Inch/dp/B00006JSUB). It'll last you a lifetime and cook considerably better than anything else!

All three can be had for cheap from amazon, which is where I got all mine. Check out the links below... It's the setup I have for even cheaper than I paid (closer to $15). Acid is pretty standard and you can't really get "bad" acid (Gerry Garcia may say otheriwse). The scale has been awesome to me (the reviews on amazon are good too). The loupe is pretty cool and has been pretty helpful. It's just a magnifying glass. As such, it's hard to fuck up.

Acid Test Kit

Scale

Loupe